Deconstructing the #ThickenedLiquidChallenge
Swallowing ©2014 Nancy Lundebjerg The folks over at GeriPal.org have been focused on the #thickenedliquidchallenge . So much so, that I thought it was time to deconstruct it by taking the mini-challenge. This was mainly because I wanted to see what thickened liquid looked, felt, and tasted like. You are probably wondering, why thicken liquid? Google it and you'll find that thickened liquid is quite different from the protein shake you might be downing as you read this. It's for people who have difficulty swallowing. Drinking it can help prevent fluid from going down the wrong hatch (that's what my mother used to call it) or getting into our lungs. Difficulty swallowing can be caused by a lot of things -- it happens to be common in older adults. The idea behind the challenge is for health care professionals to walk a mile in their patients shoes. In a subsequent post, Do thickened liquids benefit people with swallowing prob...