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Swallowing changes with age
An older swallow can still be a healthy swallow. Here is what is normal, and what is not.
Awaiting clinical review. This page is written from general, widely accepted background on how eating and swallowing work. It has not yet been signed off by a named clinician, and it is not a substitute for asking one.
An old swallow can be a healthy swallow
Swallowing experts have a name for normal age changes. They call it an old, yet healthy, swallow.
Dr. Humbert and a colleague put it plainly in 2008: a healthy older adult's swallow is not inherently impaired.
What changes
- The swallow may start a little later.
- It may take a little longer.
- A bit more may be left in the throat afterwards.
- The brain works a little harder to do the same swallow.
Less in reserve
With age, the body has less spare capacity. Things that add strain can tip a healthy swallow into a problem.
Illness, surgery, cancer treatment and many medicines are common examples.
What is not just age
These are worth checking at any age:
- Coughing or choking at many meals
- A wet or gurgly voice after eating or drinking
- Food that feels stuck, or pain when swallowing
- Losing weight without trying
- Chest infections or pneumonia that keep coming back
When this is worth asking about
- Food or drink will not go down, or someone cannot breathe. Call 911.
- Coughing or choking at many meals, or a wet voice after eating.
- Weight loss without trying.
- Pneumonia or chest infections that keep coming back.
- A sudden change after an illness, a fall or a new medicine.
