Like breathing, swallowing is essential to everyday life. It is a basic reflex that we take for granted, that involves 26 muscles! Did you know that the average person swallows between 500-700 times a day? That’s around three times an hour during sleep, once per minute while awake and even more during meals.
As social beings, our lifestyles revolve around eating. We meet friends for brunch, have family dinners and meetings over coffee, all which involves… you guessed it… swallowing! So, what happens if this natural physiological reflex becomes impaired?
When someone has difficulty with swallowing (also known as dysphagia), it can be life threatening. One in 17 people will develop some form of dysphagia in their lifetime. Currently, more than one million Australians have difficulty swallowing. Dysphagia can affect anyone, at any age, for many different reasons, including but not limited to Parkinson’s disease, stroke and dementia.
Swallowing difficulty (dysphagia) is any problem with sucking, swallowing, drinking, chewing, eating, controlling saliva, taking medication, or protecting the lungs from food and drink 'going the wrong way'.
Severe swallowing complications can lead to death, while other swallowing complications can lead to poor nutrition, dehydration, health complications, and social isolation. Sometimes, the first sign of a swallowing problem is coughing, gagging or choking when eating and drinking.
If you, or someone you know, are experiencing symptoms of dysphagia speak to your GP, who can refer you to a Speech Pathologist.
Our speech pathologists assess and treat people with dysphagia, helping patients on the wards and in the community manage their swallowing difficulty and reduce the risk of related complications. Their expertise is vital in avoiding the potentially life threatening consequences including choking, dehydration, malnutrition, and pneumonia.
Despite being very common, swallowing disorders often go unnoticed. A lack of general awareness about swallowing disorders can mean many people don’t discuss their symptoms with a health professional.
Swallowing Awareness Day 2024 is an opportunity to bring attention to swallowing disorders and the role that our speech pathologists have. So please, take the next sip of your coffee, or bite of your sandwich with gratitude for your functional swallow and continue the conversation.
Read for more information about Speech Pathology services at St John of God Mt Lawley Hospital.
