Keeping Spreading the Knowledge

Just yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking to an interstate staff member who had just completed her Safe Swallowing Education Course. Working in an aged care facility with, of course, a number of residents under her care she was passionate about resident safety and comfort.

One resident, already diagnosed with Dysphagia, had developed an infection that required antibiotics. She had a cannula already in place. A cannula is a thin tube that doctors insert into a person's body cavity, such as their nose or into a vein. Doctors use them to drain fluid, administer medication or provide oxygen.

As she was about to be given antibiotics, it seemed logical to administer them via the cannula rather than orally. Previous to her Dysphagia diagnosis, this resident had been given oral antibiotics. This staff member described the medication sitting on the resident’s tongue, the resident starting to cough and then opening her mouth to cough further, ‘the room filled with white powder from the capsule and the outer casing remained sitting on her tongue.’

Fortunately, in this latter incident, supported by the knowledge in her Safe Swallowing Education Course, the staff member knew that this medication could be administered via the cannula which was far less risky and more comfortable for the resident.

The aim of the Safe Swallowing Education Course is both to ensure the safety of our elderly loved ones and to support our wonderful staff or home carers to have and apply this vital knowledge.