Contact: Peggy Evans Phone: (816) 671-8543
Title:      Assistant Administrator/Residential Services Director
Email:    Peggy.Evans@bhshealth.org

Living Community of St. Joseph offers breakthrough treatment for dysphagia

St. Joseph, MO. – Currently, The Living Community of St. Joseph, 1202 Heartland Road, is the only area facility offering VitalStim Therapy, a breakthrough treatment for people with dysphagia or difficulty swallowing.
VitalStim Therapy has been cleared by the FDA to restore swallowing function to patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia and has been proven safe and effective. The treatment is performed by passing a small current through electrodes placed on the neck. The electricity stimulates inactive or atrophied swallowing muscles. Concurrently, a speech therapist administers rehabilitation therapy to help re-educate the muscles.

The experience of sharing a meal is basic to human social interaction. Robbed of that experience, dysphagia patients can suffer deep psychological injury. The elderly are hardest hit - especially those in care facilities, where mealtime is often the day’s most meaningful social activity. Dysphagia patients with feeding tubes suffer the most. They often report feelings of depression, hopelessness and despair.

Milton Fraser, of St. Joseph suffered a stroke in August resulting in the inability to eat solid food and the placement of a feeding tube. After receiving only five one hour treatments in five days, Fraser is now eating solid food again. “Today for the first time since my stroke, I ate oatmeal, scrambled eggs and bacon,” Fraser said.
Fraser’s daughter, Sherry Bundy, is amazed by the difference, especially since he didn’t have a gag reflex when the speech therapist first started the treatment.“I was concerned about taking him home around the family at meal times,” Bundy said. “I was sure he would try to eat and choke. He couldn’t even swallow after his stroke. He went from nothing, not even a gag reflex to this.”

An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from dysphagia. Nearly 75 percent of stroke survivors are affected; among patients with progressive neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease, ALS and MS almost 90 percent.
“ This is the most exciting technique that I have been involved with in 25 years since the Modified Barium Swallow,” said Pat Wilson, speech therapist at Living Community of St. Joseph. “The Modified Barium Swallow gave us a window to see why a person is having a problem. VitalStim Therapy gives us the therapy technique which treats the dysphagia.”

“ The Living Community of St. Joseph is committed to providing exceptional care to enhance the quality of life for the persons we serve. VitalStim therapy is one way of doing that,” said Christine Kerns, administrator/CEO. “We will always strive to provide the latest rehabilitation interventions.”

The Living Community of St. Joseph is a Member Organization of the non-profit Benedictine Health System, a nationally recognized leader in providing services and care for senior adults. The Living Community of St. Joseph features 49 senior apartments, 32 assisted living residences and a 96-bed skilled nursing care unit.