Published on: 18/03/20
Dysphagia is the term used to describe difficulties people can have with eating, drinking and swallowing. It can affect people after a brain injury and 65% of people who have had a stroke.
Swallowing Awareness Day is an internationally recognised day that falls within National Nutrition and Hydration Week. The aim of the day is to help raise awareness about dysphagia – what it is and how it impacts people’s lives.
Children and adults of all ages can have dysphagia, and it is a condition with far reaching effects.
Clare Thomson, Speech and Language Therapist at The Children’s Trust, explains: “ Dysphagia impacts not just what people can eat and drink but also their social interactions, as so many of our family and social interactions involve food.“
To mark Swallowing Awareness Day, The Children’s Trust will have fun activities for staff, parents and children to enjoy and learn about dysphagia. To find out more information about what speech and language therapists do to help people with dysphagia, visit the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) website.
