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The North Jersey Swallowing Center conveniently located at both St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson and St. Joseph's Wayne Hospital, provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment to adults who have difficulty feeding or swallowing. Established in 1983, the center helps inpatients and outpatiends from the tri-state area.
Who may need our services? Our patients are men and women who have medical problems that affect their swallowing mechanism. Some of these illnesses include but are not limited to:
Signs and symptoms of swallowing disorders include:
Our Goal We strive to identify patients with feeding and swallowing disorders, determine the cause and begin treatment as soon as the Pt. is ready. We wish to enable each patient to eat and drink as safely, independently, and efficiently as possible.
Our Staff Our staff includes Licensed and/or Board-recognized Speech Pathologists, specifically trained in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with swallowing disorders. Ancillary staff includes physicians who specialize in treating patients with swallowing disorders, including ear, nose and throat specialists, gastroenterologists, pulmonologists and neurologists, in addition to clinical specialists such as physical, occupational, nutrition and respiratory therapists.
Services Provided Evaluation – Each patient receives a comprehensive evaluation that assesses their swallowing strengths and weaknesses. Using a variety of feeding and swallowing strategies, the speech-language pathologist determines the safest diet textures and treatment for each patient. Our staff utilizes state-of-the-art imaging equipment that provides visualization of the anatomy of the throat during swallow, enabling the speech-language pathologist to precisely identify the nature and location of the swallowing problem so that effective treatment interventions can be devised.
Individualized Treatment – Unique treatment plans are designed to specifically target each patient’s area(s) of difficulty. The goals of treatment include teaching compensatory strategies that provide immediate short-term gains in the safety and efficiency of the swallow, as well as training in the use of exercises that provide long-term improvements. The wide range of treatment modalities available at the North Jersey Swallowing Center are research-based, with proven efficacy in helping patients to rehabilitate their swallow function.
Our staff provides care to patients individually, not in a group setting, ensuring the maximum benefit for each patient.
Individuals who are treated at the North Jersey Swallowing Center experience the following benefits:
For information on Speech - Language Pathology click here.
Click on the link below to see video of a normal adult swallowing.
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