SOSMagAprilJune2022

Now Accepting New Patients Now Offering: • Botox ® Cosmetic • CoolSculpting ® • Eyebrow Tinting & Shaping • Juvéderm ® Dermal Fillers • Latisse ® Eyelash Treatment • Spa Services (facials, waxing) • Tattoo & Scar Removal • Vein Treatment • Laser Hair Removal The Bellevue Hospital 1400 West Main Street, Building 1, Suite A Bellevue, OH 44811 419.484.5960 veinandbody.com Getting the best health care in later life requires older patients to be better informed about what is normal aging and what’s not. Voice changes and changes in swallowing are very common in later life, but it is not “normal” aging. The Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Geriatric Medicine believes only a fraction of older adults experiencing such changes are ever referred. Ardeshir Hashmi, MD, Cleveland Clinic Endowed Chair of Geriatric Innovation would like to break this aging myth. He explains, “There are significant pay-offs when older patients first notice changes in their voice or swallowing and get a proper diagnosis and early treatment.” “The vocal chords (larynx) and the swallowing muscles (pharynx) can become stiffer or develop folds / irregularities with time,” he said. Hashmi wants readers to understand in most cases these issues are easily treatable, if detected early. He explained, stretching the esophagus (Esophageal dilation) works well with very specific types of swallowing difficulty, which are related a narrowing esophagus. There Aging & Swallowing: What’s Normal and What’s Not By Sue Daugherty are also exercises for treating a changing voice or impaired swallowing. Disease will also change voice and the ability to swallow. Silent Reflux (a type of heart burn that you don’t feel) is one example. “When stomach acid makes contact with the pharynx and larynx, over time, it can cause damage. It can also cause the body to produce large amounts of mucus to neutralize the acid. The more mucus produced the more likely the person will complain of: Waking up with a very hoarse voice; or waking up with a coughing fit, but then being fine the rest of the day,” he said. In such patients, treating the reflux can restore the voice. A benign or malignant nodule on the vocal chords or pharynx can also cause voice and swallowing issues. In each case, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist can use a camera to examine the pharynx and upper airway to help to determine the cause. If you are experiencing any of the health issues as described above, Call Serving Our Seniors 419-624-1856 or Mail@ServingOurSeniors.org if you would like help contacting the Center for Voice and Swallowing at the Cleveland Clinic. Your family. Our purpose. Together. 800-625-5269 | steinhospice.org/ Family caregivers consistently tell us, “Now that we have experienced your hospice care, we wish we would have called sooner.” You don’t have to do this alone. We focus on improving quality of life for our patients and their loved ones to ensure that each moment is filled with comfort. Stein Hospice is here 24/7. Call us today. 21