It is heartbreaking to watch someone with a swallowing disorder give up the flavors they love because they are given a feeding tube and told to live on baby food. If prepared at the right thickness and texture, many victims of dysphagia can enjoy the same flavors at mealtime as the rest of their family.

Dysphagia is the name for a medical condition in which a person has difficulty swallowing. The symptoms of dysphagia are associated with a number of diseases. Each of the links, below, has more details about specific diseases and injuries.

• Alzheimers-type Dementia
• Parkinsons
• HIV and AIDS
• ALS - Amyothrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Oral Cancer
• MPS and ML - Mucopolysaccharidosis and Mucolipidosis
• Stroke and Head and Neck Injuries

A common thread of these diseases is that they typically involve swallowing disorders and someone that has difficulty swallowing needs to have their foods prepared in a special way to make them safer and easier to swallow. Liquids or foods that are too thin can be just as hard to swallow as ones that are too thick. Hence, the National Dysphagia Textures were developed as a guideline for preparing foods of proper texture and liquid consistency.

Leading dietitians such as Pam Womack, RD, have developed recipes for home health care of a person with dysphagia and Challenge Enterprises, Inc. is proud to bring that self-help information to you in the Challenge Books series.

Click HERE to learn about Dysphagia-related Recipes

More information:

Alzheimer-Type Dementia

This disease is due to a degenerative process resulting in a loss of cells from the brain. As the disease progresses there is cognitive impairment that interferes with eating. Listed are some of the challenges you will face when preparing meals for someone with dementia.

• Easily distracted - need for cueing and redirection.
• Altered vision and hearing - need for color coded dishes, etc.
• Vacillates between poor and excessive appetite.
• Lack of feeling in the mouth
• Decreased fluid intake - unable to perceive or communicate their needs.
• Unable to distinguish between foods and other substances.

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Parkinsons

Parkinson's disease occurs in middle-aged and elderly adults. It is a slow progressive neurological disease. As the disease progresses eating becomes more of a challenge. Swallowing problems become more evident and it places the person at risk of aspiration, dehydration and malnutrition. Suggestions include:

• Proper utensils and positioning for safe eating.
• Finger foods to maintain independence.
• Progressive weakness of muscles with eventual need for a dysphagia texture diet.
• Eventual need for thickened liquids.

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HIV and AIDS

Nutrition plays an important part in helping the body’s immune system work well. The mouth and throat are very sensitive areas of the body. Sores in these areas are common with an HIV infection and may make eating difficult and painful.

• Tips are to eat soft foods that are not spicy, acidic or abrasive(crunchy).
• Keep the mouth moist.
• Lukewarm foods and beverages are more easily tolerated.
• Increase fluids.
• The dysphagia textures are beneficial for a person needing soft foods.

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ALS - Amyothrophic Lateral Sclerosis

This is a neuron disease of unknown cause characterized by progressive degeneration, as in Parkinson’s disease. Muscular weakness begins in the hands and spreads to the forearms and legs. Eventually the muscles in the head and neck are affected with need for swallowing precautions. Here are a few of the challenges:

• Proper positioning and environment.
• Swallowing saliva is a major problem.
• Control excessive intake of sweet and sour foods.
• Keeping the lips closed tight when eating
• Control of temperature of food - varies with the individual

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Cancer of the Oral Cavity

Problems with swallowing are generally caused by a malignant tumor in the oral cavity, esophagus or sinuses. The problem may arise from the tumor itself or the removal of the tumor, leaving scar tissue or a hole. The oral cavity is very sensitive to pain. Nutrition plays a large role with the need for caloric and protein density.

People with this condition need to:

• Eat foods that are soft to chew
• Avoid spicy foods
• Keep the mouth moist
• Lukewarm foods and liquids are more tolerated
• Sip liquids slowly
• Increase fluids to avoid dehydration

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MPS and ML - Mucopolysaccharidoses and Mucolipidoses

These are rare genetic disorders caused by the body’s inability to produce certain enzymes. The result is an abnormal deposit of complex sugars in tissues and cells. This causes progressive damage throughout the organ systems. Progressive facial disfiguration and abnormality will eventually interfere with eating. When tolerated, the dysphagia textures will allow these children to be fed orally instead of tube fed.

Stroke and Head/Neck Injury

The principles for eating depend on the severity and damage to the nervous system caused by the stroke or neurological injury. The guidelines are similar to those for dealing with Dementia.

• Need for proper positioning and utensils.
• Dysphagia textures and thickened liquids may be needed due to the inability to control the swallow.
• Finger foods help to increase a peson's independance when eating which leads to higher the self esteem during recovery.

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