Abstract
Objective：After discharging, dysphagia rehabilitation enhances improvement through cooperation by a transdisciplinary team. However, there have been no reports on the longitudinal effects of dysphagia rehabilitation in home-visiting treatment for the elderly. In this study, we verified the effects of home-visiting dysphagia rehabilitation through cooperation by a transdisciplinary team on elderly patients with dysphagia in a before/after study.
Method：A total of 37 participants with dysphagia（16 men, 21 women, mean age 82.2±9.5 years）were enrolled. Home-visiting treatment was performed once a month by well-trained dentists. Videoendoscopic evaluation of swallowing（VESS）was performed every time to assess the swallowing function of the participants and evaluate FOIS（functional oral intake scale）. Based on the results of VESS, food texture, posture during meal, and indirect or direct exercise were appropriately instructed. The Kuchi-Kara Taberu Balance Chart（KTBC）, which consisted of 13 items, was also recorded at baseline and follow-up（3 months after baseline）to assess the effects of dysphagia rehabilitation. Furthermore, the subjects were divided into single home-visiting dental treatment and cooperation of the transdisciplinary team.
Results：The KTBC index at follow-up was significantly improved compared with that at baseline（p＜0.05）. However, only the KTBC index of nutrition was significantly improved in the group that received the cooperation of the transdisciplinary team（p＜0.05）.
Conclusions：Dysphagia management should be continued after discharge even in the short term, not only for swallowing function and nutritional state but also physical function. We suggest that the cooperation of a transdisciplinary team can be more effective.
