A Story of Contrasts

Barbara Braithwaite, Safe Swallowing Team • November 16, 2020

When endeavouring to increase people’s awareness and understanding of the risks of eating and drinking food and fluids not suitable to their current swallowing function, I’ve been met with vastly different responses.


One, with many years’ experience in aged care, reported only ever seeing one resident choke. This was apparently due to the resident ‘stuffing her mouth with wafers’. The other end of the scale was reported by a facility manager whose staff have been devastated by a similar incident and who have been on an earnest search for education to support their staff, to avoid any recurrence of this kind.


Exposure to a choking incident is extremely distressing and can stay with you indefinitely. Even if only one resident, loved one, staff or family member, can be spared this nightmare, surely it’s worth the investment. 

Enjoying Every Sip and Mouthful

By Barbara Braithwaite • December 12, 2023
As the festive season approaches, regardless of our background and culture, many of us take the opportunity to catch up with family and friends.

No ‘one size fits all’: is technology enough to address loneliness?

By Barbara Braithwaite • November 30, 2023
There are limitless benefits to the rapidly increasing use of technology across all ages. Research into high usage suggests social isolation can be an unwanted ‘side effect’.

Reducing Risk in Aged Care

By Barbara Braithwaite • November 23, 2023
I read an interesting article a short while ago by Nick Burnett MD Team Teach Australia & New Zealand about minimising restrictive practices and reducing risk for all in aged care, but of course this can be implemented more widely.
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