Stay Hydrated this Summer with Thick-It® Hydration Solutions
Maintaining proper hydration while enjoying outdoor activities in the summer heat and humidity can be challenging for anyone, but especially those with swallowing difficulties.[i] At…
Introducing the SLP: An Essential Role in Managing Dysphagia
Guest Author: Katrina Woodward, MS, CCC-SLP, CDP The ability to eat and drink is easily taken for granted. Surprisingly, one in 25 adults per year…
Thick-It® Brand Recognizes NDAM with Dessert Recipe Guide, Summer Playlist
June is National Dysphagia Awareness Month, which calls attention to the prevalence and impact of swallowing disorders. It also marks the 35th anniversary of the…
Identifying and Managing Dysphagia After a Stroke
Swallowing is a complex task that requires the brain to coordinate more than 50 pairs of muscles to prepare the food in the mouth and…
Leveling Up Dysphagia Nutrition — The IDDSI Standard for Level 3 Liquids
Confused about terms like “Moderately Thick,” “Level 3,” or “the IDDSI* Framework?” You’re certainly not alone. To help you gain more confidence in the kitchen,…
Leveling Up Dysphagia Nutrition — The IDDSI Standard for Level 2 Liquids
Nothing is more important than the safety and quality of foods and beverages for individuals with a swallowing disorder. That’s why the International Dysphagia Diet…
Thick-It® Brand Hosts IDDSI: An Integrated Approach Webinar
The Thick-It® brand hosted two installments of a free webinar titled IDDSI: An Integrated Approach: RD & SLP Insights for Improving Care and Creating a…
Bread in the Limelight: Texture-Modified Diets
Guest Author: Katrina Woodward, MS, CCC-SLP, CDP The rollout of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI)* has put bread at the forefront of every…
Webinar: IDDSI: An Integrated Approach
You’re invited! On February 15, 2022, at 1 p.m. CST, join Margaret Roche, MS, RD, CSG, CDE, FAND and Katrina Woodward, MS, CCC-SLP, CDP for…
6 Ways Family Caregivers Can Enrich Their Lives
Family members are the primary source of support for older adults and people with disabilities in the United States. According to Family Caregiver Alliance[i], more…
Score on Game Day with Dysphagia-Friendly Recipes
With football season in full swing, the Thick-It® brand is helping those with swallowing disorders get ready for game day. Whether you are kicking back…
Senior Outlook Today: Dysphagia Nutrition
Each year, one in 25 adults experience a swallowing problem. Older adults are more likely to have dysphagia, including up to 68 percent of residents…
Today’s Geriatric Medicine: Managing Dysphagia
In a recent Today’s Geriatric Medicine article titled “Managing Dysphagia – The Importance of Safety, Variety, and Training,” Margaret Roche, MS, RD, CSG, CDCES, FAND…
Dysphagia-Friendly Fall Recipe Roundup
If there’s one season defined by its flavors, it’s fall. As the temperature begins to cool and leaves begin to turn from green to yellow…
Solutions for Dehydration and Water Fatigue
Dehydration is often an overlooked health risk for seniors. While everyone can experience dehydration, the symptoms are usually less apparent in older adults.[i] For example,…
Relaxation Techniques to Relieve Dysphagia Symptoms
Guest Author: Amy Reinstein, MS, CCC-SLP Ten years ago, I was officially diagnosed with Behcet’s Disease, a rare autoimmune/vasculitis disease that causes inflammation of the…
Dysphagia-Friendly Summer Drink Roundup
Although warmer weather brings backyard barbecues, cookouts, and picnics with family and friends, it can also cause fear of missing out for those with swallowing…
Savor Summer with the Thick-It® Brand’s New Guidebook
For many, summer is a time to enjoy picnics in the park, backyard barbecues, baseball games, and the great outdoors. But for those with swallowing…
Thick-It® Brand Launches Clear Advantage® Plus Electrolytes Thickened Beverages
Staying properly hydrated during the heat and humidity of summer can be challenging for almost anyone, especially the 590 million people worldwide with dysphagia, or…
Dysphagia-Friendly Father’s Day Recipes
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the dads in our lives, often with backyard barbecues and celebratory dinners full of dad’s favorite foods. But…
6 Tips for Healthy Aging
Older adults are a large and rapidly expanding part of the U.S. population. According to data from the Urban Institute, the number of Americans ages…
Dysphagia-Friendly Brunch Recipes for Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day brunch is a timeless tradition for families to celebrate the moms in their lives with delicious food and drinks. But for those with…
How to Use Thick-It® Variety Packs
Although swallowing disorders can make it difficult to stay hydrated and well-fed, the Thick-It® team believes everyone deserves to enjoy the simple pleasure of their…
Understanding the Connection Between Dysphagia and Parkinson’s
Every year, 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and causes tremors and stiffness.[i]…
Training Healthcare Teams for IDDSI Implementation
Guest Author: Margaret Roche, MS, RD, CSG, CDCES, FAND The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI)* provides a new, standardized way to define texture-modified diets…
Dining with Dignity: Supporting Loved Ones with Dysphagia During Mealtimes
Guest Author: Susan Norris, regional sales manager for the Personal Nutrition Solutions (PNS) division of Kent Precision Foods Group, Inc. For those with dysphagia, mealtimes…
Where and How to Buy Thick-It® Products
Many individuals with dysphagia follow a modified diet of thickened and puréed foods and beverages often prescribed by a speech-language pathologist or other healthcare professional….
Puréed Breakfast Casserole Recipe
We’ve long been told breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While researchers have differing opinions on whether one single meal is more…
Understanding the Causes of Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing, or dysphagia, is a complex diagnosis. Simply put, dysphagia means it takes more time and effort to move food or liquid from your…
Food Safety Tips to Prevent Foodborne Illness
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from consuming…
5 Self-Care Tips for Family Caregivers
Caregiving is a demanding, full-time job for many. A recent study[i] reported family caregivers spend an average of 24.4 hours per week administering care, and…
Making Holiday Mealtime Dysphagia-Friendly
Guest Author: Jessica Hilton, MS, RDN, CDN The holidays are a time when many of us come together around the dinner table to enjoy delicious…
Fall Favorite Recipe: Puréed Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
The leaves are starting to fall, and the air feels chilly – perfect weather for apples, cinnamon, and coffee. Fortunately, Thick-It® Purées make it possible…
Planning for Long-Term Care
It can be difficult to predict how much or what type of long-term care you or your loved one may require. However, several factors, including…
Starting with Purees: Implementing IDDSI in Healthcare
Guest Author: Margaret Roche, MS, RD, CSG, CDE, FAND Healthcare dining priorities have shifted in the wake of COVID-19. During this crisis, projects like implementing…
Dietary Basics for Dysphagia Patients
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, is a disorder that may be caused by stroke, neurological disease, dementia, or other health conditions.[i] Some patients with dysphagia have…
Satisfying Flavor, Texture, and Nutrition: Thick-It® Purées
A meal shared with family and friends is one of life’s simple pleasures—one that is often denied to people who have difficulty swallowing. Fortunately, Thick-It® Purées…
Safe Swallowing Strategies and Resources
Did you know? It takes 50 pairs of muscles and three different stages—oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal—to move food from the mouth to the stomach.[i] According…
The Importance of Hydration for Seniors
Replenishing your body’s water supply through an adequate intake of fluids is essential to your health.[i] Fluids obtained from a combination of water, other beverages,…
Using Thick-It® Original Food and Beverage Thickeners to Promote Safe Swallowing
Although swallowing disorders can make it difficult to stay hydrated and well-fed, the Thick-It® team believes everyone deserves to enjoy the simple pleasure of their…
Dysphagia Causes, Signs, Interventions, and Resources
We all have problems swallowing sometimes. We may eat too fast, not chew our food well enough, or have a drink “go down the wrong…
Understanding Dysphagia Related to Multiple Sclerosis
Dysphagia is a swallowing disorder that can occur on its own or as a symptom of another condition. In the latter case, those conditions can…
Recognizing Symptoms of Dysphagia After a Stroke
Every year, more than 795,000 Americans have a stroke, or a sudden interruption in the brain’s blood supply.[i] Stroke is typically caused by a blockage…
Maintaining Hydration Using Thick-It® Clear Advantage® Ready-to-Drink Beverages
“Adequate fluid is critical for numerous essential functions, including homeostasis, waste elimination, maintaining perfusion, and thermoregulation, for healing and for general well‐being.”[i] The inability to…
Managing Dysphagia in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
More than 80 percent of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD)—a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement—experience difficulty swallowing[i] because they lose control of their…
Recognizing Dysphagia within a Traumatic Brain Injury
Ninety-three. That’s the percentage of patients in one study who experienced dysphagia following a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).[i] As one of the most common…
Five Tips for Ensuring Proper Nutrition in Patients with Dysphagia
March is National Nutrition Month, which is an annual observance focused on the significance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating habits.[i] Although…
Introducing the New Thick-It® ProCare Sampling Program
For many years, the Thick-It® team has been proud to provide healthcare professionals with free samples of our innovative suite of dysphagia nutrition solutions through…
A Dysphagia Resource Guide for Patients and Caregivers
Experiencing the first symptoms of dysphagia can be both alarming and devastating for patients and caregivers. Not knowing where to turn for helpful information can…
Strategies for Caregivers Supporting a Loved One with Dysphagia
Although caring for someone with a swallowing disorder can be a rewarding experience, it also presents a unique set of challenges. Below are several strategies…
How to Maintain Proper Nutrition and Hydration on a Dysphagia Diet
For many people, maintaining proper nutrition and hydration may be nothing more than eating fruits and vegetables and remembering to drink water. But for individuals…
Dysphagia Diet: Understanding Swallowing Difficulties and Preventing Aspiration
Did you know it takes more than 40 pairs of muscles and 8 nerves to move food from the mouth to the stomach? [i] While…
IDDSI: What Every Dysphagia Patient and Caregiver Should Know
There are more than 590 million people worldwide living with dysphagia¹, yet the terms used to describe the dysphagia diet have been as varied as…
Xanthan Gum: What is it, and why does it matter for those with dysphagia?
For years, starch has been used to thicken beverages for patients with dysphagia. While starch-based thickeners serve an important role and are readily available to…
12 Breathing and Relaxation Techniques for Dysphagia Patients
While the documented ramifications of a dysphagia diagnosis are principally focused on nutritional aspects, the swallowing disorder may also lead to respiratory issues as well….