Silent and insidious

Almost everyone, at some time, has experienced food or drink ‘going down the wrong way’. That feeling and the subsequent coughing fit, isn’t fun at all. As unpleasant as that coughing is, it’s the body’s protective mechanism to stop whatever you’ve swallowed going into your airway and down to your lungs. Food obviously doesn’t belong there because food in the lungs can cause an infection or pneumonia.

For well over half of our elderly and disabled populations with a compromised swallowing function, there are NO OUTWARD SIGNS that the food or drink ‘has gone down the wrong way’. Everything looks completely normal, on the surface. However, the food has actually SILENTLY headed down to the lungs and is sitting there until the resident becomes ill. It's like a time bomb. 

Education about Safe Swallowing is essential in caring for our disabled and elderly populations, in a facility or at home. Find this vital information at www.safeswallowing.com.au