The use of diet modifications and third-party disability in adult dysphagia: The unforeseen burden of caregivers in an economically developing country.
Kim A Coutts, Maxine Solomon
PMID 33314953WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers of adults with dysphagia in South Africa described financial strain, fear, and cultural conflict as major burdens.
Family support and state disability grants were key facilitators. Access to thickeners and equipment varied by hospital.
Key findings
01All six caregivers present reported experiencing third-party disability, with financial costs, fear, and cultural conflicts being prominent challenges.
02Family support was the most consistently reported facilitator (100%), followed by access to state disability grants (57%) and appropriate counselling (28%).
03Caregivers faced significant barriers in accessing commercial thickeners, with some unable to afford them despite hospital availability varying by site.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (7 caregivers). Conducted only in urban, well-resourced tertiary hospitals, limiting generalisability to rural or primary healthcare settings. Duration of dysphagia was not fully investigated. Caregivers were not the original focus of the larger study from which this data was drawn.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply to rural or primary care settings. The study was conducted in urban tertiary hospitals where resources and family employment structures differ significantly from other contexts.