Presenter(s): Anyasha Aragon – Communication Disorders and Sciences, German Language
Faculty Mentor(s): Samantha Shune
Oral Session 1S
Research Area: Communication Disorders and Sciences (College of Education)
Funding: Clark Honors College Thesis Grants for Extraordinary Expenses
Individuals recovering from stroke have a very high incidence of swallowing problems (dysphagia). One way to reduce rates of aspiration and choking in this population is by reducing rate of eating. Current methods for reducing rate, such as verbal cueing, often decrease quality of life. With advances in technology, smartforks provide a potentially novel method for reducing eating rate while maintaining increased autonomy. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a smartfork on eating rate and quality of meals in stroke survivors with dysphagia. The research was conducted at Oregon Rehabilitation Center over the course of two meals: one meal was eaten without the use of the smartfork’s feedback and the second meal was eaten with the vibrotactile and visual feedback turned on. Results indicated that the fork was effective for two out of the three participants. Specifically, for those two participants, their rate of eating decreased and the percentage of bite intervals when the target rate of eating was met increased with the use of the smartfork feedback. The visual feedback provided by the fork was more effective than the vibrotactile feedback. All participants felt the fork maintained or improved the quality of their meal. These results indicate that a smarkfork is potentially a helpful device to make eating a safer and more enjoyable experience for people with dysphagia.