Dysphagia Mini Series: To Tube or Not to Tube: Navigating Aspiration Risk in Dementia

George Barnes MS, CCC-SLP, BCS
January 30, 2025
✉

Teaser

Aspiration pneumonia and dementia: a complex combination with no easy answers. How do we balance safety with quality of life regarding mealtimes? Dive into this blog post to explore a thoughtful approach to aspiration risk in dementia, where we challenge assumptions, weigh the evidence, and prioritize patient-centered care. Hint: sometimes, the "cure" can be worse than the disease!

‍

Curious?

Explore this blog post to learn more about the thoughtful process behind managing aspiration risk, particularly in the context of dementia.

To Tube or Not to Tube: Navigating Aspiration Risk in Dementia

‍

The Author

George Barnes, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders. As a medical speech-language pathologist, he has developed expertise in adult dysphagia management, focusing on diagnostics and clinical decision-making in the medically complex population. George is passionate about making education useful and providing accessible, quality care. With a deep appreciation for the joy and connection that food brings to our lives, he has dedicated his life to helping others enjoy this simple but deep-rooted pleasure. George has contracted with national and international organizations as a medical SLP subject matter expert, including Northern Speech Services, the Medical SLP Collective, Medbridge, SpeechPathology.com, and many other companies, state and national associations, universities, and law firms.

‍

‍

‍

‍

Written by
George Barnes MS, CCC-SLP, BCS
CEO, FEESible Swallow Solutions
Guest author

George Barnes, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S, is a speech-language pathologist and one of roughly 400 clinicians in the U.S. to hold Board Certification in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders. He has spent more than a decade working with medically complex patients across acute care, long-term acute care, and inpatient rehabilitation, including at Hackensack University Medical Center, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and Select Specialty Hospital.

George is CEO of FEESible Swallow Solutions, a medical expert witness for SwallowStudy & Associates, a mentor with the Medical SLP Collective, and an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University, where he trains graduate students for medical settings. He serves as a subject-matter expert on dysphagia for organizations including ASHA and the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders.