Individuals suffering from dysphagia, or a difficulty swallowing, have very few options for relief. With symptoms ranging from mild (i.e. constant clearing of throat) to extremely severe (i.e. diet fed through a tube), 60% of patients with dysphagia do not even realize that they have a swallowing disorder*, let alone do they know that it is a curable condition. Great Lakes Caring has introduced an innovative new way to rehabilitate individuals with a swallowing dysfunction, known as VitalStim® Therapy, which will help them return to a higher quality of life by allowing them to enjoy their favorite foods without difficulty.
Swallowing, while it may seem a simple task, is a complex series of 41 coordinated physical and mental activities. VitalStim® Therapy is primarily based on a small neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) device, which uses precise electrical signals to stimulate the complex network of nerves in the throat, literally “re-teaching” the muscles how to swallow. The repetitive nature of the therapy, which includes additional exercises, also produces valuable sensory and movement feedback to help the patient re-educate his or her self to swallow properly.
“When a patient loses his or her ability to swallow, their very independence becomes challenged immediately,” says Jason Enicks, Great Lakes Caring Speech Language Pathologist. “With VitalStim® Therapy, we aren’t just able to initiate the swallowing function within that patient, but we can actually help legitimately restore that patient’s ability to swallow, giving them the opportunity to once again enjoy two of life’s most basic functions, eating and drinking.”
Every Great Lakes Caring speech language pathologist (SLP) has completed special education courses through VitalStim® and CIAO to certify them in the safe, skillful application of VitalStim® Therapy. Every certified SLP is then equipped with a VitalStim® Therapy unit to assure that any patient struggling with dysphagia, no matter how slight the symptoms, can work to restore their normal swallowing function.
Click here to learn more about VitalStim® Therapy from Great Lakes Caring.
*Data from Social and Psychological Burden of Dysphagia (2002 reporting year) and Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (2001 reporting year)
