Speech Therapy Recommendations For Patients With Parkinson's Disease
Posted on: 27 January 2023
People who have neurological health conditions such as Parkinson's disease may be unable to care for themselves independently. Because of this, relocating to an assisted living facility may be necessary so that they can get the help that they need to be safe and healthy. For example, if you have Parkinson's disease and have difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), you may benefit from the following interventions that the assisted living facility speech therapist or speech pathologist can provide.
Chewing And Swallowing Evaluation
Parkinson's disease may affect your ability to chew food and swallow. This can raise your risk of choking and aspirating. If you are unable to swallow your food properly, pieces of food and liquids may be aspirated into your lungs and cause a serious respiratory infection called aspiration pneumonia. The speech pathologist at the assisted living facility can administer a bedside evaluation to assess your chewing and swallowing limitations.
During your evaluation, the speech therapist or speech pathologist will assess your teeth, jaw muscles, the roof of your mouth, the back of your throat, and tongue. They will also ask you to perform various maneuvers such as jutting out your jaw and making sounds with your lips. In addition, your coughing and gag reflexes may also be evaluated during your chewing and swallowing evaluation. The results of your evaluation will be relayed to your physician who will recommend the appropriate treatment plan if your evaluation is abnormal.
Swallowing And Chewing Exercises
The assisted living speech therapist can teach you how to perform exercises to help enhance your ability to chew and swallow. Prior to swallowing your food, your food must be chewed properly so that it can be swallowed without stuck in your throat so that it can travel effortlessly through your esophagus. Once it passes through your esophagus, it will enter the stomach so that the digestive process can proceed.
If your Parkinson's disease has caused your chewing and swallowing mechanisms to work improperly, you may be at risk for injuries such as biting your tongue, injuries to the back of your throat, and choking. Chewing and swallowing exercises can promote better control over your swallowing and chewing muscles, and over time, you may be able to effectively chew your food and swallow without the risk of injury, gagging, coughing, or choking.
If you have problems with chewing or swallowing related to Parkinson's disease, consider the above interventions that the assisted living facility staff can offer. When you are able to chew and swallow your food properly, your overall state of health may improve and you may have more energy to do the things you enjoy. For more information, contact an assisted living facility near you.
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