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Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) and community-acquired pneumonia are common in frail older people and maybe addressed through targeted training of the anterior neck musculature that affects the swallow. We have developed a swallowing exercise rehabilitation intervention (CTAR-SwiFt) by adapting a previously established swallowing exercise to ensure patient safety and ease of execution in the frail elderly population. The CTAR-SwiFt intervention consists of a feedback-enabled exercise ball that can be squeezed under the chin, with real-time feedback provided via a mobile application. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of assessing the effectiveness of the CTAR-SwiFt intervention in reducing dysphagia and community-acquired pneumonia, prior to a larger-scale multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

We will recruit 60 medically stable patients over the age of 75 …