On average, people swallow 500 to 700 times a day. Swallowing problems can not only reduce pleasure in eating, but also lead to feelings of anxiety, embarrassment and social isolation. Moreover, dysphagia is a major risk factor for serious problems such as malnutrition, dehydration, pneumonia and even death (Guidelines database.co.uk).
Dysphagia is common in elderly people with neurological disorders and people with intellectual disabilities. In Europe, 30% of nursing home residents and 85% of people with intellectual disabilities have swallowing problems (Richtlijnenlangdurigezorg.nl).
The Federation of Medical Specialists recommends swallow training programmes aimed at strengthening swallowing strength and hyolaryngeal lift.
The SilverFit Rephagia makes it possible to better explain a swallowing exercise through visual cues on the screen in the form of a graph or a moving game. The biofeedback allows the therapist to provide more targeted guidance during treatment, so that complex exercises are taught more efficiently (Galek, 2020 & Galek 2022). The game element challenges the client to do more repetitions and practice more often.
Gusta Brittijn is a speech therapist at Zorggroep Alliade and has been working with the SilverFit Rephagia for several years. She says: ‘I really like the visualisation of the exercise. It makes patients understand much faster what they are doing with swallowing. They can more easily influence it themselves because of the visual feedback. And besides, my patients are much more motivated to practise. I am able to elicit many more swallowing movements during my treatment than I could without the SilverFit Rephagia.’
