What to do if the elderly have difficulty swallowing? What methods should be used

Many elderly people have obvious swallowing problems due to the continuous degeneration of their throat muscles. For elderly people who have difficulty swallowing, there are also targeted methods to solve the problem. For example, if you have slight difficulty swallowing, you can adjust the amount you swallow.

1. Adjust the swallowing method: change the direction of food flow through different postures. Lowering your head to swallow can protect the trachea and prevent food or liquid from flowing into the throat too quickly, making eating safer. For bedridden elderly people, the head of the bed needs to be raised 90 degrees.

2. Adjust the speed and amount of eating: Swallowing in small sips can reduce the amount of food remaining in the throat. Swallow each mouthful several times and clear your throat after swallowing to ensure that you swallow completely to avoid any food or medicine residue. If you choke easily when using a straw, you can use a spoon or a slanted cup instead to control the amount you eat.

3. Adjust the texture of food: increase the thickness of the liquid - add thickeners or starch to water or soup to make it thicker, slow down the flow rate of the liquid, and prevent it from flowing into the respiratory tract too quickly. Do not eat foods that are too sticky or too hard to avoid them getting stuck in the throat.

4. Pharyngeal swallowing exercise: The throat lifting exercise using a suction tube can help lift the larynx and close the airway.

1. Place one end of the straw in your mouth and cover the other end with your finger.

2. Inhale hard, feeling your Adam's apple lift up to the highest point, hold for 5 seconds.

3. Repeat 8 times.

5. Falsetto exercises: help lift the larynx and close the airway.

a. Make the sound of /一/ and slowly raise the pitch.

b. The pitch should rise as high as possible, until it reaches the highest note.

c. Maintain the high note for 5 seconds and repeat 8 times.

6. Tongue-supporting exercise: can increase the strength of the tongue root and pharyngeal muscles and reduce food residue.

a. Extend the tongue forward and use the teeth to lightly bite and fix the tip of the tongue.

b. Swallow your saliva, keeping the tip of your tongue outside.

c. Repeat 8 times.