Swallowing Program

If you have difficulty swallowing, chewing, or sucking, our Swallowing (Dysphagia) Program can help.

What Causes Swallowing Problems?

Swallowing disorders can result from:

• Brain injury
• Stroke
• Head and neck cancer
• Degenerative disease
• Throat cancer
• Parkinson’s disease
• Neurological disorders

What Can Be Treated?

Our program professionals can help you learn to:

• Chew, suck and move food and liquid through your mouth and into your throat
• Move food and liquid through your throat. Difficulty at this stage is often due to the throat improperly closing off the airway, which is intended to prevent choking.

What You Can Expect

Your therapy will begin with an evaluation by a speech pathologist who will examine how the muscles of your face and throat work together to enable swallowing. We’ll also evaluate your ability to swallow different types of food and drink. Sometimes further evaluation is necessary. If this is the case, the speech pathologist will thoroughly explain each test and the reason for it.

Your swallowing therapy treatment program will be based on your individual needs. It may include:

• Diet modification training
• Strategies and techniques to help you swallow more effectively
• Exercises to strengthen the muscles you use for swallowing