If an elderly person close to you frequently chokes on food, don’t ignore it because it can be life-threatening. What causes it and can it be prevented?

Elderly people often choke on food. What causes this?

As we age, our body systems deteriorate, leading to difficulty swallowing, which can cause the elderly to choke on food or water frequently. This is caused by many factors, such as abnormalities in the structure and function of the mouth, throat, esophagus, abnormalities in the nervous system that controls swallowing, or diseases such as cerebrovascular disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, neurological diseases, psychiatric diseases, and diseases that cause muscle spasms, which also make swallowing more difficult.

Elderly people often choke on food. How dangerous is it?

Elderly people with the above mentioned conditions or diseases will experience dysphagia as high as 50-75% and will experience silent aspiration as high as 40-70%, leading to severe pneumonia infection. And if the elderly already have pneumonia infection, the silent aspiration rate will increase to as high as 71%. Moreover, it has been reported that in the elderly over 60 years old, the death rate from pneumonia from aspiration is as high as almost 30%.

Elderly people with dysphagia will experience the following symptoms:

• Coughing or choking while swallowing food
• Food must be cut into smaller pieces so that it can be swallowed normally.
• Certain foods should be avoided as they can cause choking.
• Hoarseness or hoarseness after swallowing food
• Feeling like food is stuck in your throat or chest
• Unusual weight loss
• Eating behavior changes

Choking on food and water is not a small matter. It is the cause of death in the elderly or the transformation from a normal patient to a bedridden patient. When the swallowing system slows down with age, every time you eat food, there is a risk of choking.

How to prevent seniors from choking on food

Although dysphagia in the elderly is a symptom that occurs due to age, we can prevent choking on food or water in the elderly by adjusting eating and drinking habits.

1. Sit up straight while eating to help swallow easily and move food down into the stomach quickly.
2. You should not lie down immediately after eating because food stuck in the throat will cause the elderly to choke and have acid reflux.
3. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.
4. Do not eat when tired. Sit and rest for 30 minutes before eating to prevent choking.
5. Eat in bite-sized portions, scoop one thing at a time, eat one bite at a time.
6. Eat soft, easy-to-chew foods and avoid strong flavors.
7. Do not watch TV, listen to the radio, or talk while eating.

If you are not sure whether an elderly person or senior citizen close to you has difficulty swallowing and often chokes on food or water, สมัคร ufabet you can try doing a preliminary assessment using this method.

Try swallowing 1 teaspoon of water. If you don’t choke, increase the amount to 1 tablespoon. If you start choking after drinking a small amount of water, this indicates a swallowing problem and you should consult your doctor.