ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and symptoms of dysphagia in community dwelling elderly people using the Korean-Eating Assessment Tool-10 (K-EAT-10). Methods: A total of 89 K-EAT-10 results of community dwelling elderly individuals from 1 public health center were analyzed. Results: A total of 22 (24.7%) out of 89 respondents were screened as the dysphagia risk group (≥3 in K-EAT-10). Seven people in the dysphagia risk group felt that they have problems with dysphagia. The symptoms and psychologic issues of dysphagia were significantly different between the normal and dysphagia risk groups. The main symptoms were “I cough when I eat,” “When I swallow, food sticks in my throat,” and “Swallowing pills takes extra effort.” There was no significant relationship between age and gender. Conclusion: Community dwelling elderly people tend to underestimate their dysphagia symptoms and cognition as aspects of aging. Through this study, it was found that a preemptive examination and management are necessary to confirm the underlying symptoms of dysphagia even in subjects living in the community who do not have dysphagia symptoms. Therefore, experts of a community service organization such as a public health center should pay attention to the dysphagia of community dwelling elderly individuals and strive to improve the quality through comprehensive management and intervention. In the future, it will be important to establish a system for the management and linkage of dysphagia for the elderly in a community environment.