Dysphagia,
difficulty with chewing or swallowing food or liquid, can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, aspiration, pneumonia, and even death. Dysphagia can have a wide-range of symptoms and causes. Patients suffering from dysphagia are in both acute care and long-term medical facilities. Dietary modifications, including altering food consistency or providing a liquefied diet, is an important aspect of dysphagia management.
Thickeners
Thickeners can be used to thicken any liquid of pureed food to make it both easier to swallow and more appetizing. Liquid thickeners are available in
powdered thickeners or
gel
thickeners with many different flavor options.
Drinking and Feeding Aids
Feeding assistant devices are ideal for patients with any sort of reduced sucking ability. These
feeding aids allow for accurate quantity measurements and easily deliver food into the patient's mouth. In addition,
dysphagia cups allow for patient self-feeding and are built for thickened liquids to flow easily into the center of the mouth without requiring any head tilting.