[For Older Adults] Choking-Prevention Training: Boost Chewing and Swallowing Strength to Prevent Aspiration
Do you ever find yourself coughing unexpectedly while eating? To keep enjoying meals for years to come, it’s important to maintain your swallowing ability.
In this article, we introduce easy, cough-prevention training exercises that older adults can try casually.
From movements that strengthen the neck and throat muscles to fun tongue twisters that get the mouth moving, there are plenty of ideas you can continue without strain.
Actively moving your mouth also stimulates saliva production, which leads to smoother swallowing.
Take it at your own pace and use these tips to support a healthy, pleasant mealtime every day!
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[For Seniors] Coughing/Choking Prevention Training: Improve Chewing and Swallowing Strength to Prevent Aspiration (1–10)
Swallowing muscle trainingNEW!
Some people may choke while eating or wake up at night coughing on saliva.
How about trying swallowing muscle training? This training focuses on the larynx, which serves as a lid for the trachea, to strengthen the muscles used for swallowing.
Lie on your back, bend your ankles to 90 degrees, and slightly lift your head.
Keep looking at your toes and hold that position for 60 seconds.
There’s also a method for abdominal exercises using a towel, so give it a try if you like.
Swallowing Exercises: Cheek Training EditionNEW!
If you have trouble swallowing food, try strengthening your cheeks! First, pucker your cheeks tightly as if sticking the insides of your cheeks to your teeth.
Next, with your mouth closed, pull the corners of your mouth to the sides as if making a smile.
It might help to picture a smiley-face mouth! Finally, puff out your cheeks as if filling your mouth with air and blow them up like “poo.” Try each for about five seconds.
It’s a quick exercise you can do right away, so why not try adding it before meals?
Improve swallowing with foot stretchesNEW!
Many people may wonder, “How does training the legs, which are far from the mouth, help with swallowing?” In fact, when the legs—specifically the hamstrings—become tight, your back ends up pressed against the chair back and your head juts slightly forward, creating poor posture.
Poor posture can negatively affect swallowing.
To improve this, first sit shallowly on a chair and extend one leg with your toes pointing upward.
Then tilt your body forward as if you’re trying to touch your chin to your toes.
Hold this position for 30 seconds.
When you’re done, do the same on the other leg.
The effect is temporary, so be sure to do it every day!
[For Seniors] Coughing-Prevention Training: Boost Chewing and Swallowing Strength to Prevent Aspiration (11–20)
Simple Gum TrainingNEW!
To prevent choking and coughing, it’s important to chew your food thoroughly.
As a training method, try using chewing gum! We recommend gum that contains xylitol or calcium.
Instead of popping it straight into your mouth, first hold the gum between your lips, then use your front teeth and the tip of your tongue to bring it into your mouth.
Put 1–2 pieces in your mouth and chew evenly on both the left and right sides.
Once it softens to some extent, try using your tongue to roll the gum into a ball.
If you can’t roll it with your tongue, try using your front teeth as well.
Practice using your teeth and tongue properly to help prevent choking and coughing!
Chin-lifting exercise
The muscles in your throat are important for swallowing food.
This exercise helps strengthen your swallowing while keeping your attention on that area of the throat.
First, make fists with both hands and place them under the tip of your chin, then gently tuck your chin in.
From there, apply upward force with your fists as if lifting your chin, while pressing your chin downward against your fists, and hold that position.
The key point is that having something clear to push against makes it easier to visualize the direction of force.
It’s important to apply firm pressure without straining your neck.
Patakara exercises
This is an exercise that involves clearly pronouncing words to train the muscles of the face, starting with those inside the mouth.
By consciously focusing on mouth movements, you can strengthen your chewing and swallowing abilities while also promoting saliva production.
The exercise consists of repeatedly pronouncing each of the sounds in “pa-ta-ka-ra,” with key points being the movements of the mouth and throat muscles, as well as the tongue.
While the main goal is to improve swallowing function, the large mouth movements and clear articulation also help make speech more intelligible and enrich facial expressions.
Swallowing Forehead Exercise
This exercise strengthens the throat muscles—the muscles essential for an enjoyable meal and for swallowing.
You place your hand on your forehead and apply force as if pushing back against that hand with your head.
This works the muscles of the neck and throat.
A key point is to focus on your forehead: this engages areas that aren’t trained by simply bending the neck.
If you touch your throat with your other hand while doing it, you can feel how the muscles are working, which helps you focus more on the movement of the throat.