In my caregiving work, the conversations I find hardest are not the ones about IDDSI levels or medication schedules. They are the ones that happen when a family calls me at night because their mother has stopped swallowing, and they don’t know if they should call an ambulance, try
Dysphagia Resources
Seven years into managing my mother’s Level 3 diet, I calculated roughly how many modified meals I had prepared. Three meals a day, 365 days a year, for seven years. That’s somewhere over seven and a half thousand meals — each one tested, each one verified, each one carried
Dysphagia Products
The first blender I used after my mother's dysphagia diagnosis was a stick blender I already had in the kitchen. It worked for some things. For Level 3 chicken — completely smooth, no fibres, pourable — it didn't work at all. I spent weeks thinking I was hitting
Dysphagia Resources
Why malnutrition is so common in dysphagia, how to monitor weight at home, caloric fortification strategies, and when to escalate to the clinical team.
Dysphagia Resources
How much protein someone with dysphagia needs, the best sources at Levels 3–6, fortification strategies, and when to request a dietitian referral
IDDSI Content
IDDSI liquid Levels 0–4 explained — what each consistency looks like, who is typically prescribed it, and what test confirms it at home.
Dysphagia Resources
What dysphagia treatment involves — compensatory strategies, swallowing exercises, and an honest prognosis by condition.
IDDSI Content
Before, during, and after a dysphagia swallowing diagnosis — VFSS and FEES explained, results decoded, and what to do when you get home.
Dysphagia Products
A list of items to consider for dysphagia oral care. From suction toothbrushes to mouthwash, dry mouth products, including a daily routine guide.
Review of 9 adaptive eating utensils, from maroon spoons to weighted cutlery & red plateware for dementia and dysphagia patients.
IDDSI food and liquid diet levels. This guide explains what each level means for drinks and meals, and how to manage two prescriptions at once.
Which porridge suits your IDDSI level — congee, okayu, polenta and more, with official IDDSI testing guidance and free downloads.
Polenta is the most reliable IDDSI Level 4 porridge — stable across temperatures. Dysphagia recipe with spoon tilt test and fortification tips.
Semolina porridge reaches IDDSI Level 3–4 depending on ratio. High-protein, milk-based dysphagia recipe with consistency adjustment guide.
Filipino lugaw reaches IDDSI Level 3 or 4 depending on broth ratio. Full recipe with adjustment guide and IDDSI testing steps.
Chiu Chow congee reaches IDDSI Level 3 at a 10:1 ratio. Full recipe with water ratio guide, fortification options, and IDDSI testing steps.
Japan's traditional sick-day rice porridge naturally reaches IDDSI Level 3 at a 5:1 ratio. Recipe with spoon tilt test and fortification tips.
Uji millet porridge is naturally IDDSI Level 2 — thickener required for Level 3. Recipe with thickening guide and syringe flow test steps.
How ALS progresses to affect swallowing, managing saliva, when to discuss a PEG tube, and energy conservation strategies for mealtimes.
IDDSI Level 7 has two sub-levels — Regular (RG7) and Easy to Chew (EC7). What each means, the fork pressure test, food lists, and when EC7 is right.
The first time I realised medication administration was a clinical problem in its own right — not just a practical inconvenience — was when I was caring for an elderly man with Parkinson's disease and dysphagia who had been crushing his levodopa tablets into his thickened water for months. Nobody
