Rehabilitation of Older People with Swallowing Disorders

Swallowing difficulties are a frequent concern in geriatrics, particularly in dependent subjects. Older people have increased risk of dysphagia due to aging, aka presbyphagia. Care for dysphagic subjects involves the coordination of a multidisciplinary team for the assessment of swallowing capacities, an etiological diagnosis, and eventually treatment, care and prevention of complications, rehabilitation, and nutritional care. Analytical rehabilitation is no different than rehabilitation in adults and should be proposed whenever possible. However, adaptive care is more frequent owing to difficulties in older and exhausted dysphagic patients to perform exercises. The texture of food needs to be modified and its composition needs to be fortified, and environmental and postural changes should be made in order to nourish subjects as safely as possible. Relatives and professional caregivers should be involved in rehabilitation and adaptive care. The aim of education for health is to improve the acceptability and observance of adaptive care and thus to improve health-related quality of life.