Information for
Patients & Families
Dysphagia :
(difficulty feeding, eating, drinking & swallowing)
More common than most people realise
and possible at every stage of life
600
times a day the average person swallows, usually without a single thought.
But for many people, swallowing is difficult.
Did you know that:
42%
of babies born prematurely can have feeding difficulties in their early years.
3-4%
of children under five have challenges with feeding. This is much more common for children with cerebral palsy or developmental disability.
1 in 3
healthy adults find tablets or capsules hard to swallow.
40-50%
of people in aged care, (especially those with stroke, dementia or Parkinson’s) have trouble eating, drinking & swallowing.
1.4 - 2 million
Australians live with some difficulty eating, drinking or swallowing.
If it affects you, or someone you love, you are far from alone.
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1. Cichero et al., (2017) Dysphagia, 32: 293-314
2. Kovacic et al., 2021The Journal of Pediatrics, 228: 126-131 e123
3. Pados et al., (2021) BMC Pediatrics, 21: 110
4. Tuncer et al., (2025) Child: Care, Health and Development, 51: e70131
5. Roberts et al., (2024) Healthcare, 12: 649
6. Bhattacharyya et al., 2014 Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, 151: 765-760
7. Radhakrishnan et al., (2021) Patient Preference and Adherence, 11:15:29-40
About the Information Library :
Did you know that we swallow around 600 times a day without even thinking about it? We're usually thinking about the food itself, not how it gets safely to the stomach. For some people, though, swallowing is not that simple.
The medical word for difficulty with eating, drinking or swallowing is dysphagia (dis-fay-jee-uh). It can make swallowing unsafe, uncomfortable or tiring, and make it harder to eat, drink or take medication. And it affects more than the person alone, it changes mealtimes for the families and carers around them.
Dysphagia is more common than people think, and it happens at every age. Some children are born with it or develop it early in life. In adults it often follows a stroke, or comes with dementia, Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease or head and neck cancer. It becomes more common as people get older, and is common in aged care. Even healthy people can struggle: around a third of us find tablets and capsules hard to swallow. Swallowing can be a temporary challenge alongside reflux, gastric surgery or dental work. For others, it becomes a permanent part of everyday life.
This library brings together plain-language answers to the questions families and patients ask most, on how different conditions affect feeding, eating, drinking and swallowing. It is a growing collection, and we’ll be adding to it over time.
The information provided here is general. It does not replace a swallowing assessment or individualised advice from your speech pathologist, doctor, or care team. It is intended to support, not substitute, the conversations you have with the clinicians involved in your care.
Information Library Coming Soon..
