There is an increase in the demand for community services to provide care closer to home, and care teams are placing a growing emphasis on admission avoidance and early discharge. Community and district nurses are key professionals in this care delivery and are required to be alert to the risk factors for clinical deterioration, such as dysphagia (swallowing problems). Especially in older adults and those with frailty, dysphagia can cause a wide range of problems, from dehydration and malnutrition to respiratory tract infections that warrant antibiotic use and even hospitalisation. This article describes how dysphagia can be identified and managed in the community setting and explains the benefits and impact of speech and language therapy and wider multidisciplinary team intervention.
Keywords: Community nurses; Dysphagia; Frailty; Long-term conditions; Multidisciplinary team.