This course is a transcript of the webinar, “Sensory Changes in Adults: Impact on Swallowing and Diet Selection, Part 1” presented by Denise Dougherty, MA, SLP.
Introduction and Disclosures
We are going to look at sensory changes in adults and the impact on swallowing and diet selection. As indicated, this is a two part series. As always, I need to cover the ASHA disclosures. Financial, I am receiving an honorarium from SpeechPathology.com, and I am a private practice owner. Non-financial disclosures includes being a member of the Quality Insights of Pennsylvania. The committee that I serve on deals with medication review.
When we look at the aging and disease processes that our patients are dealing with, they certainly do change swallowing ability, which in turn impacts the person’s nutrition and hydration. We are going to discuss what is happening in the normal aging swallow. We will review the physiological changes in the aging patient and the impact it has on swallowing, diet, and nutrition.
Learning Objectives
After this course, participants will be able to explain the changes found in the normal aging swallow. You should be able to list three physiological changes that occur with aging, and discuss the impact of aging on the esophagus, which is a significant part of the swallowing process.
Body Composition
When looking at the different changes that occur in the body, there is decreased muscular/skeletal mass that not only creates a problem with strength for the body, but for the swallow as well. There is also a reduction in total body water which is important because the body has to lubricate the brain. If a person doesn’t drink enough water, the body will find liquids wherever it can.
Changes can occur in lab values. For example, creatinine, a by-product of muscle metabolism, is excreted by the kidneys. Lab values can provide an indication of a person’s renal health. Unhealthy kidneys will have an increased lab value. An important point about renal health is that one of the main ways a person eliminates medications from the body is through urine. If the kidneys aren’t functioning properly, there is a possibility that the person is holding onto medication which can cause toxic levels in the body.
When changes in body composition start to occur, patients are at risk for dehydration. In many disease processes there's an issue with patients drinking enough fluids. Sometimes patients limit how much they drink because they don't want to have the urinary frequency, and that can cause a patient some serious trouble.
