Thickening+liquids+and+modifying+diet

=Thickening liquids and Modifying Diet= Thickening liquids is a common practice in managing adult dysphagia. Reasons for introducing thickened liquids include the clinicians perceptions of the patients abiliity to manage liquids orally and to protect the airway from aspiration of thin liquids, ( Crary, 2010). Following a partial glossectomy the tongue may have difficulty moving food around in the mouth in preparation for swallowing.Foods that do not break down in the mouth such as skins of fruit, nuts and some types of meat can be difficult for these patients to manage.Soft or pureed diets or even liquid diets may help with this problem making food easier to swalllow., ( Worthington,2003). Eliminating specific food consistencies should often be the last resort in compensatory diet modification, ( Byron,2006) as t can understandibly be quirte upsetting for the patient to be told that thin liquids must be eliminated from the diet. Also thickening liquids may also alter the taste of the liquid,making it less palatable for the patient ( Garcia,2005).The clinician shoulld really take this observation into account when recommending thickemed liquids for a patient. Obviously however if other compensatory strategies or direct therapy approaches do not eliminate aspiration or improve swallowing efficiency certain consistencies should may have to be eliminated, ( Crary et al, 2010).

Similar to liquids, foods may have to be modified to accomodate limitation in swallowing function in adults with dysphagia.\logemann, (1983) conducted a study (over a six month time period), on patients recovering from oral cancer. He found that patients tended to eliminate food consistenceis that they were prone to aspirate or that took a long time to eat.

The National Dysphagia Diet was propoesed in 2002 in an attempt to standardise menus and decision processes in the application of modified diets for adults with dysphagia, ( Crary 2010). Four standardised levels of diet modification were developed based on the assessment of food textures. In the report information is given about standard assessment tools, food preparation avice for food on each level, foods to avoid on each level and food preparation approcahes. It is important to remember that like thickened liquids, texture modified diets may not always be popular with adults with dysphagia, ( Crary,2010).There is advice in the National Dysphagia Diet on howto enhance patient acceptance of modified diets.