SwallowStudy.com Offers Dysphagia Resources

We recently discovered a fantastic resource for dysphagia, both for suffers, carers and health professionals.

www.swallowstudy.com was started in 2014 by Karen Sheffler, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, Karen started the website as an evidence-based resource for healthcare professionals and people with difficulty swallowing (dysphagia).

Karen graduated with a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and has since gone on to dedicate her career to dysphagia awareness joining the Dysphagia Research Society and a committee member for the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorder.

While based in the USA a lot of the information is still relevant for us here in the UK. A particularly useful blog post we wanted to share with you is titled “Trouble Swallowing Pills? What to do for Pill Dysphagia”.

For some people with dysphagia, swallowing pills can be even more challenging than swallowing foods and liquids.

In this article, Karen takes us through the causes of dysphagia and why swallowing medication can be even more difficult than swallowing food. She examines the possible solutions and strategies people use and why we need a fresh approach!

The gel substance should form a cohesive ball around the pills, without affecting the pills’ ability to dissolve and be absorbed by the body quickly. A slippery gel may help to safely slide pills out of the mouth, down the throat, through the esophagus and into the stomach. Since you cannot crush medications and put them in corn starch, xanthan gum, or guar gum, this substance needs to be made from a food-grade gel that is a thick and slippery vehicle for easier swallowing.

As the quote describes we have the perfect solution is Gloup, please note as mentioned in the article Assure is the brand name in the USA.

The article then goes on to provide a thorough investigation into how Gloup can help people swallow medication with case histories and videos which really helps you understand the challenges!