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J Frailty Aging. 2021;10(2):156-159. doi: 10.14283/jfa.2020.56.
Oropharyngeal dysphagia is a widespread condition in older people and thus poses a serious health threat to the residents of nursing homes. The management of dysphagia relies mainly on compensatory strategies, such as diet and environmental modification. This study investigated the efficacy of an intervention program using a single-arm interventional study design. Twenty-two participants from nursing homes were included and had an average of 26 hours of intervention, including oromotor exercises, orosensory stimulation and exercises to target dysphagia and caregiver training. Four of the 22 participants exhibited improvement in functional oral intake scale (FOIS) but was not statistically significant as a group. All oromotor function parameters, including the range, strength, and coordination of movements, significantly improved. These results indicate that this intervention program could potentially improve the oromotor function, which were translated into functional improvements in some participants' recommended diets. The validity of this study could be improved further by using standardized swallowing and feeding assessment methods or an instrumental swallowing assessment.
口咽吞咽障碍在老年人中较为普遍，因此对养老院居民的健康构成严重威胁。吞咽障碍的管理主要依赖于补偿策略，如饮食和环境调整。本研究采用单臂干预研究设计，调查了一种干预方案的疗效。研究纳入了 22 名来自养老院的参与者，平均接受了 26 小时的干预，包括口腔运动练习、口腔感觉刺激、针对吞咽障碍的练习和护理人员培训。22 名参与者中有 4 名在功能性口腔摄入量表（FOIS）上有所改善，但作为一个群体在统计学上并不显著。所有口腔运动功能参数，包括运动的范围、力量和协调性，都显著改善。这些结果表明，该干预方案可能有助于改善口部运动功能，从而使一些参与者的推荐饮食得到功能性改善。通过使用标准化的吞咽和喂养评估方法或仪器吞咽评估，可以进一步提高本研究的有效性。
