QCS has joined forces with the DART (Dysphagia And Referrals Training) team at Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust to offer a free IDDSI recipe booklet for social care providers who support and care for people with dysphagia (swallowing difficulties).
The booklet contains a selection of recipes from the IDDSI recipe book: ‘Modify your style – tips for dysphagia cooks at home’. To receive the recipe book in full, see further information below.
Meals include modified salads and meat sauce for a bolognese or shepherd’s pie. There are recipes for drinks as well as tips to ensure pasta and rice meet the correct IDDSI levels. There is also mention of some foods providers may wish to avoid using altogether.
The authors are keen to stress that all foods used must pass all the tests for the IDDSI Level concerned. The full recipe book contains audit sheets for all IDDSI Levels.
Janne Schack, Speech and Language Therapist and Clinical Lead for the DART Team said: ‘It can be difficult to provide a variety of tasty, nutritious, and visually appealing meals for people who are on a texture-modified diet because of swallowing difficulties. We hope our IDDSI recipe book will be a source of ideas and inspiration to make eating and drinking enjoyable as well as safe.’
What is dysphagia?
According to the NHS website, some people with dysphagia have problems swallowing certain foods or liquids, while others cannot swallow at all.
Other signs of dysphagia include:
- Coughing or choking when eating or drinking
- Bringing food back up, sometimes through the nose
- A sensation that food is stuck in your throat or chest
- Persistent drooling of saliva
- Being unable to chew food properly
How to treat dysphagia
Management approaches include:
- Strategies, equipment and advice to increase the safety and comfort of eating and drinking
- Changing the consistency of food and liquids to make them safer to swallow
- In some cases, speech and language therapy can help people improve their swallowing with special exercises and techniques
- Other forms of feeding – such as tube feeding through the nose or stomach – are sometimes considered
Download your booklet here
Further information
What is the DART team?
The DART team provides training in identifying and managing eating, drinking, or swallowing difficulties to Dorset HealthCare Trust staff as well as health and social care professionals across the UK and beyond.
Want a free recipe book?
To receive a free pdf of the full recipe book or information about dysphagia training courses for care or catering staff, email: [email protected]
Dysphagia Training – Dorset HealthCare
Facebook Page www.facebook.com/DysphagiaTrainingDHC
