Swallowing impairment may occur as a result of stroke, surgery, degenerative illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease or MND, cerebral palsy, developmental disability, brain injury, dementia, respiratory or digestive issues.
The effects of swallowing difficulties can be severe and range from malnutrition, dehydration and coughing to choking or pneumonia. In addition to this, struggling with food or drink can be embarrassing and make people very self-conscious about eating in public.
MLSP provides:
- Clinical swallowing assessments
- Instrumental swallowing assessment – including modified barium swallows
- Education and advice on appropriate diet and/or fluid modification
- Training of techniques and strategies to optimise swallowing safety
- Recommendations regarding eating independently
- Advice on managing secretions
- Swallowing rehabilitation to improve or maintain swallowing ability