Getting A Grip On
Swallowing Problems
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But what you probably won’t find is a thoughtful
discussion on the opportunity caregiving provides to
take a pause in your life to make sure you are on the
right track.
Are you puzzled as to why her nose runs after nearly
every meal?
When you give your father juice, do you hold your breath
waiting to see if it goes down the right tube?
When he eats a sandwich, are you on the edge of your seat
ready to perform the Heimlich maneuver?
Are you forever looking at the kitchen clock when you eat
with your mother because meals take so long and you’ve
got a million things to do?
Do you wonder how your loved one can possibly be getting
enough food or liquid to survive?
If you’ve had any of these concerns, your loved one may
have a significant, potentially serious, swallowing problem.
COMMON AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED
Many people these days know about the dangers of falling
in the elderly. Did you know that swallowing problems are
another major threat to the elderly? They, too, account for
tens of thousands of deaths in the United States every year.
More, perhaps, than falls.
Choking, a blockage of the airway, takes nearly four
thousand lives.
Aspiration of food, liquid, or bacteria-laden material from
the mouth into the lungs causes fatal pneumonia in tens
of thousands.
Malnutrition resulting from swallowing problems causes
weakness and susceptibility to infection that hasten the
death of thousands more.
Nearly 40 million Americans in a total U.S. population of
just over 300 million are elderly (65 years of age and older).
From 15 to 50 percent of the elderly are estimated to have
a swallowing problem. That’s somewhere between six and
20 million people and growing.
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