swallowing assessments

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 What is it? 

Swallowing assessments (or sometimes referred to as mealtime management assessments) assess an individual’s ability to safety consume foods and fluids. 

When is this assessment needed? What are the benefits to having this assessment completed?

A swallow assessment is needed when an individual presents difficulty swallowing foods and fluids. Some signs of difficulties include: 

· Choking

· Coughing

· A wet or gurgly voice quality after swallowing

· Shortness of breath after swallowing

· Taking a prolonged time to chew foods

· Recurring chest infections due to aspiration pneumonia 

A swallowing assessment has many benefits, including:

· The recommendation of individualised mealtime modifications to maximise an individual’s swallow safety during mealtime. This may include modifying the texture of a diet or thickening fluids

· The recommendation of safe swallow strategies or techniques

What’s involved?

A swallowing assessment involves a speech pathologist observing an individual eat and drink during a typical mealtime. Here, the speech pathologist will observe the effectiveness and safety of an individual’s swallowing ability. During the assessment, the speech pathologist may palpate or touch an individual’s throat whilst they are swallowing. This technique is not painful and allows the speech pathologist to assess the strength and coordination of the muscles that are needed for swallowing.

How do I prepare for this assessment?

A quiet area and a dining table are needed for this assessment. Typically, you may be asked to consume some foods of different textures that are present in your home at the time of the assessment. However, the speech pathologist can bring foods/fluids to use during the assessment if required.