Compliance with Dysphagia Recommendations by Carers of Adults with Intellectual Impairment

Health risks associated with dysphagia in adults with intellectual impairment are well documented. There is little research into compliance with dysphagia recommendations in environments where care is provided for adults with intellectual impairment. This is a pilot study into carer compliance with Speech-Language Pathology recommendations. We aimed to investigate the level of compliance with dysphagia recommendations in day centers and the factors that might affect compliance using a questionnaire. Twenty-seven clients were observed. Results showed an overall high level of compliance with recommendations (82%), with figures ranging from 64% compliance with appropriate utensils to 100% with direct support recommendations. Areas of noncompliance were evident, with level of dependence of clients and training of carers being key issues. Implications for practitioners are discussed.