Occurrence of impaired swallowing ability and change over a year in older adults living in nursing homes.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of dysphagia in three nursing homes and to investigate whether swallowing function changes over a year. Seventy-three individuals participated (median age 89 years) and were tested with the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS). The participants estimated self-perceived swallowing ability with a self-report questionnaire. Thirty-eight participants (52%) exhibited dysphagia according to the GUSS. Thirty-six participants (49%) showed symptoms of dysphagia according to the self-report questionnaire. The study also investigated how well the results from the GUSS agreed with self-rated swallowing function and found 60% agreement. No association was found between age and swallowing function. Twenty participants were examined twice, one year apart with no statistically significant change between these occasions. Results show that approximately half of the participants have persistent swallowing difficulties after one year. Swallowing difficulties are common in older adults living in nursing homes, even though few have an ongoing intervention to improve swallowing safety and efficiency.