The Grace Plaza Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has introduced a new program to treat swallowing disorders, allowing patients to monitor their own progress as an incentive to get better, the center announced last week.
“Therapy plays a huge part in today’s world, and we always want to stay on top of our game,” said Gina Irwin, marketing specialist for the center. “In this age of technology, you have to have better equipment and newer programs to get our patients better treatments. “
The system, known as ACP Synchrony, uses visual feedback to allow not only the speech language pathologists but also the patient themselves to see if they are progressing with their therapy. A patient is given food to swallow, and a machine monitors if the patient can more easily swallow the food via electrodes put on the patient.
The results of how well a patient is doing goes up on a screen and is easy for the patient to read.
“It gives them more of an incentive to do better if they can see the progress they are making — it gets them more involved in their rehab,” Irwin said. “For the patient it’s a positive experience.”
The new program, which the center started a couple weeks ago, also offers a game to motivate patients, Irwin said. When a patient makes progress an animal on the screen will advance through a series levels in the game, which Irwin described as a “Mario” like game.
Swallowing disorders are more common in the elderly, but Irwin said younger people and those who have had strokes can suffer from swallowing disorders, or dysphagia, as well.
Grace Plaza has three speech language pathologists to do the therapy, all of whom have been trained to operate the new program. She said the therapy is not limited to full-time Grace Plaza residents.
According to the center, dysphagia affects nearly 15 million people in the U.S. every year, and can lead to life-threatening conditions if it is not treated.
