Swallowing Strategies

Swallowing Strategies

The strategies in this leaflet aim to help manage your swallowing difficulties, as recommended by your Speech and Language Therapist (SLT). Please do not use without seeking guidance and agreement from your SLT first. The strategies will be tailored to your needs and you will be shown the most appropriate strategies and how to do them.

Effortful Swallow

Why?

• This strategy helps to clear food, drink and saliva from the ‘well’ at the base of your tongue.

How?

• Put food or drink in your mouth.
• Imagine you need to swallow a golf ball.
• Swallow ‘hard’, squeezing all the muscles in your mouth and throat.

Chin Lift

Why?

• This strategy helps move food or drink from the front to the back of your mouth
• It can help keep food and drink in your mouth if you have lip weakness. 

How?

• Put food or drink in your mouth
• Gently lift your chin up and swallow
• Return your head back to normal position.
• You should not feel pain in your neck.

Chin tuck

Why?

• This strategy helps you to initiate your swallow
• If the movement of the base of your tongue to the back of your throat is reduced
• It can reduce aspiration risk (food and drink going the wrong way)from residue in your throat.

How?

• Put food or drink into your mouth
• When you are ready to swallow bring your chin down towards your chest
• Swallow with your chin tucked down.
• Return your head back to normal position.

Head tilt

Why?

• This strategy helps if one side of your mouth or throat is weaker
• It can reduce aspiration risk from residue in your mouth or throat.

How?

• Place food or drink into your mouth
• When you are ready to swallow tilt your head to your shoulder on the stronger side – left/right [delete as appropriate]
• Swallow
• Return your head back to normal position.

Head turn

Why?

• This strategy helps if one side of your throat is weaker
• It can reduce aspiration risk from residue in your throat.

How?

• Place food or drink into your mouth
• When you are ready to swallow turn your head towards your shoulder on the weaker side – left/right [delete as appropriate]

Supraglottic Swallow

Why?

• This strategy helps give you more control of food and drink before and during your swallow.
• It makes the ‘well’ at the base of your tongue bigger and the space between the base of your tongue and your throat wall smaller
• It can reduce aspiration risk before or during your swallow.

How?

• Place food or drink into your mouth
• Breathe in through your nose with your mouth closed and hold your breath
• Keep holding your breath as you swallow
• Cough as soon as you have swallowed
• Swallow again.

Super-supraglottic Swallow

Why?

• This strategy helps close your airway before and during your swallow
• It can help clear residue in your throat during and after swallowing
• It can reduce aspiration risk from residue in your throat.

How?

• Place food or drink into your mouth
• Breathe in through your nose with your mouth closed and hold your breath
• Keep holding your breath as you swallow hard, squeezing your tongue and throat muscles (like you’re bearing down)
• Cough as soon as you have swallowed
• Swallow again.

Speech and Language Therapist:  ___________________________________ Contact Number: 01905 760475 or extension 33296

If you have any queries do not hesitate to contact your speech and language therapist on the details below

If your symptoms or condition worsens, or if you are concerned about anything, please call your GP, 111, or 999.

Patient Experience
We know that being admitted to hospital can be a difficult and unsettling time for you and your loved ones. If you have any questions or concerns, please do speak with a member of staff on the ward or in the relevant department who will do their best to answer your questions and reassure you. 

Feedback
Feedback is really important and useful to us – it can tell us where we are working well and where improvements can be made. There are lots of ways you can share your experience with us including completing our Friends and Family Test – cards are available and can be posted on all wards, departments and clinics at our hospitals. We value your comments and feedback and thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
If you have any concerns or questions about your care, we advise you to talk with the nurse in charge or the department manager in the first instance as they are best placed to answer any questions or resolve concerns quickly. If the relevant member of staff is unable to help resolve your concern, you can contact the PALS Team. We offer informal help, advice or support about any aspect of hospital services & experiences.

Our PALS team will liaise with the various departments in our hospitals on your behalf, if you feel unable to do so, to resolve your problems and where appropriate refer to outside help.

If you are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Department, who can investigate your concerns. You can make a complaint orally, electronically or in writing and we can advise and guide you through the complaints procedure.

How to contact PALS:
Telephone Patient Services: 0300 123 1732 or via email at: [email protected]

Opening times:
The PALS telephone lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.00pm. Please be aware that you may need to leave a voicemail message, but we aim to return your call within one working day.

If you are unable to understand this leaflet, please communicate with a member of staff.

Version 3