October 23rd, 2005
Pamphlet (Genre 5)
Dysphagia is when the action of swallowing is difficult to perform. Occasional difficulty swallowing usually does not require any sort of remediation, but persistent difficulty may be indicative of a serious medical condition. Dysphagia is most common in older adults, but can occur at any age.
Signs and symptoms of dysphagia:
Swallowing repeatedlyCoughing or choking while eating
Pocketing of food or food is kept in the mouth unintentionally
“Wet” quality of voice while eating
Sensation of food being stuck in your throat
Not being able to swallow at all
Recurring pneumonia
Weight loss or dehydration
Causes of dysphagia:Dysphagia can be caused by any condition that weakens or damages the muscles or nerves that are involved in swallowing. Some of these conditions include:
Stroke
Old Age
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Motor Neurone Disease
Cancer of mouth and/or throat
Head and neck injuries
Cerebral palsy
Muscular dystrophy
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Treatment for dysphagia:After dysphagia is diagnosed, a speech-language pathologist will often help to remediate the swallowing process. There are several forms of treatment for dysphagia, depending on the cause, symptoms, and type of swallowing problem. Treatment may be compensatory, which is used to eliminate the symptoms of dysphagia with little change to the actual process of swallowing. Treatment may also involve active swallowing therapy that will change how the patient swallows and the muscle function. Compensatory techniques are generally tried first because they do not require extra muscle effort and patients do not fatigue easily.
Compensatory techniques can include changing the head or body position of the patient, increasing sensory information, changing the food amount or thickness, and making changes to the patient’s eating strategy. The speech-language pathologist will try different techniques and decide which is best for the patient.
Swallowing therapy includes exercising the muscles that are used during swallowing. This therapy will change the way a person swallows. These techniques may include exercising the lips, tongue, jaw, and vocal folds. Chewing exercises may also be used to improve coordination of the tongue and jaw while eating. Other techniques include swallowing maneuvers that help the patient to gain better control over particular areas of their swallow.
Where to go for help:
If you believe that you or a loved one is suffering from dysphagia, contact your doctor immediately. Your doctor will discuss the possible medical causes of the dysphagia with you. A speech-language pathologist may then perform an evaluation and begin providing treatment if necessary. Other medical specialists may also be involved to help evaluate and treat the dysphagia.
Resources:
Bloom, R. L., & Ferrand, C. T. (1997). Introduction to organic and neurogenic disorders of communication. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Difficulty swallowing. (2005, October 12). Retrieved October 22, 2005, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00523
Swallowing problems in adults. (2005). Retrieved October 23, 2005, from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/swallowing/Swallowing-Disorders-in-Adults.htm
JillJill
Audience: General Public
Say Back: The pamphlet provides the general public of the definition of dysphasia, signs and symptoms, etiologies of dysphasia, treatment of dysphasia, and where to go for help if concerned.
Bless: I think you did a great job describing the treatment and symptoms for a client with dysphagia. I provide the reader with information easy for them to understand.
Address: You may want to expand on the definition of dysphasia. I also think the symptom "Wet" quality of voice may need a little explaination as to what that means exactly.
Miller216
Kristen (genre 5)
Voice: The clinician
Audience: The general public
Say back: The pamphlet gives a brief definition of Dysphagia, signs and symptoms, causes, an overview of the treatments available for dyspahgia, where to turn for more help and information, and references in which to check the validity of the pamphlet as well as provide further information on the topic.
Bless: This is an awesome pamphlet. The definitions and descriptions are very exact and concise, and the way in which you described the treatments available so in depth gives the reader a real sense of how to deal with the disorder.
Address: You might want to shorten the symptom of “Pocketing of food in the mouth or food is kept in the mouth unintentionally” because it sounds a little redundant. Maybe shortening it to “Pocketing of food in the mouth.”. Also, on the same note, you might want to describe what “Wet quality of voice while eating” means.