Presented by Dr. JoAnne Robbins and Jackie Hind.
Click here for a recording of the live webinar broadcast on December 2, 2014.
Description: Age-related muscular atrophy, or sarcopenia, is linked to the decline in head and neck muscle strength observed with advancing age and is a key cause of dysphagia. Reduced muscle strength leads to lower oropharyngeal pressure generation for safe propulsion of food and liquid through the mouth and throat. This decline in pressure generation has important clinical implications in that older individuals are at increased risk for dysphagia when they have acute or chronic medical conditions such as stroke, head and neck cancer or Parkinson’s disease. Isometric Progressive Resistance Oropharyngeal (I-PRO) therapy for the muscles of the oropharynx is an emerging rehabilitation technique for dysphagia that strengthens the muscles of the mouth and throat. The purpose of this presentation will be to review I-PRO therapy and present data from recent studies that support its clinical use.
Dr. JoAnne Robbins, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
Bio: JoAnne Robbins, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the School of Medicine and Public Health with affiliations in the Departments of Medicine, Radiology, Nutritional Sciences, Food Science and Biomedical Engineering and is Associate Director of Research for the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. Dr. Robbins is the founder and director of the UW/VA Swallowing Speech And Dining Enhancement (SSWAL-ADE) program and is known nationally and internationally as a leader in the area of swallowing disorders and dysphagia rehabilitation. She has received continual federal funding for innovative clinical research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Department of Agriculture since 1984 while continuing a clinical practice, as it is the patients who fuel Dr. Robbins’ research program. More than 70 peer-reviewed publications demonstrates the immense impact that Dr. Robbins’ science has had not only on the profession of speech pathology, but also on the fields of neurology, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, gerontology, neuro-rehabilitation, nutrition and food science.
Jacqueline Hind, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
Bio: Jacqueline Hind is the Program Manager for the Swallowing Speech and Dining Enhancement Program and Senior Speech Pathologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and the Madison VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center and the Director of Clinical Development for Swallow Solutions, LLC. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing, has more than twenty publications in peer-reviewed journals and holds a US patent through the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
