Interventions for Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Dysphagia
Dementia, Dysphagia, Alzheimer Disease
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Dementia focused on measuring Dementia, Dysphagia, Alzheimer's Disease, Treatment, Lingual Strengthening, Saliva substitute
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion criteria (patients):
- Age 50-99
- English speaking
- Diagnosis of dementia or cognitive impairment or memory loss
- Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale score between 0.5 and 2.0
- Actively involved caregiver
- Resides at home or an assisted living facility
Inclusion criteria (caregivers)
- English speaking
- Age 18 and older
- Contact with patient at least 1 time a week
- Has access to a working telephone
Exclusion criteria (patients):
- Dementia due to cerebrovascular disease as primary cause
- History of head and neck cancer or other structural deformity that can affect swallowing
- Allergy to barium
- Currently breastfeed or pregnant or planning to become pregnant
Exclusion criteria (caregivers):
- Lacks ability to give consent
Sites / Locations
- University of Wisconsin-MadisonRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Arm 4
No Intervention
Experimental
Experimental
Experimental
Usual care
Saliva Substitute Intervention
Lingual Strengthening Intervention
Saliva Substitute and Lingual Strengthening Intervention
Usual care groups will receive standard swallowing interventions identified by the Speech-Language Pathologist as appropriate to treat the patient's dysphagia and common in clinical practice. Such treatment would likely consist of dietary (e.g., thickened liquids or pureed foods) or postural compensatory strategies (e.g., chin down posture while swallowing). No progressive lingual strengthening approaches or regimented salivary substitute protocols are utilized.
Each patient-caregiver dyad will be provided with a commercially available gel-based saliva substitute, Biotene® Oral Balance Gel that will be applied to the oral cavity regularly for 8 weeks.
Patient-caregiver dyads will be trained in the lingual strengthening protocol and patients will undergo this intervention for 8 weeks. Isometric tongue strengthening will be facilitated by the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) device.
Each patient-caregiver dyad will be provided with a commercially available gel-based saliva substitute, Biotene® Oral Balance Gel that will be applied regularly to the oral cavity for 8 weeks. Each dyad will also be trained in the lingual strengthening protocol and will undergo this intervention for 8 weeks. Isometric tongue strengthening will be facilitated by the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) device.