碩士 / 國立臺北護理健康大學 / 語言治療與聽力研究所 / 107 / Background: Literatures suggest that swallowing function deteriorates by aging, causing impaired swallowing to life-threatening conditions. To date, there is still a lack of efficient strategy and/or treatment to prevent aged swallowing. The links between olfactory stimulation and swallowing function thereafter is getting attentions in research. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore how the olfactory stimulation functions in swallowing of the elderly.
Methods: Forty-four participants aged over 60 were recruited and divided into two groups with covariate-adaptive randomization; AT (receiving aromatherapy) and NAT (no receiving aromatherapy) groups. The experimental group (AT group) (n= 24; Mean age= 74.52±8.28 years; Male= 8; Female= 16) received the olfactory stimulation through the essential oil inhaler for 15 minutes before each meal for 12 days. The control group (NAT group) (n= 20; Mean age= 73.30±8.17 years; Male= 7; Female= 13) did not receive any stimulations. Pre- and post-test (i.e., conducted in Day1 and Day14) were administered to all participants, including swallowing test [the BED-R and the surface electromyography (sEMG)], the AAPCR-S, and the SSSEQ. The swallowing function was measured by the BED-R screening test and the sEMG detected the amplitude of the submental muscular contraction during the measurement. The daily eating performance was surveyed by using the SSSEQ and the other AAPCR-S assessed swallowing-associated function− the auditory perceptual ability. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney test as well as Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analyses.
Results：The results revealed that a significant between-group comparison was seen only in the post-sEMG findings of the semi-liquid and solid tasks. The maximum amplitude from the submental muscles increased after the intervention, implying a better swallowing function found in the AT group than the NATs. On the other hand, significant intra-group differences were found in the the BED-R, the SSSEQ, and the AAPCR-S in the AT group and the BED-R in the NAT group. The results of the SSSEQ showed that the mean scores statistically significant decreased. The AT participants found swallowing problems regress through their self-evaluation. In the BED-R screening test, the scores declined in the AT group, representing improved swallowing problems; on the other hand, the scores of the AAPCR-S in the AT group increased, demonstrating the improvement of the auditory conceptual ability. On the contrary, the data of the BED-R showed statistical within-group differences, suggesting an reduction of swallowing impairments (p-value≦0.05).
Conclusion: The study results indicate that personal changes in self-awareness, perceptual and physical dimensions of swallowing occurring in the elderly after receiving a period of olfactory stimulation. It may offer insights into the relationship between olfactory stimulation and swallowing function. Although these preliminary data were limited by the sample size, it still gives the perspective on clinical utilization of the olfactory stimulation in swallowing function in the elderly.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TW/107NTCN0714021 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | LIN, LI-CHU, 林立竺 |
| Contributors | CHEN, YEA-TZY, 陳雅資 |
| Source Sets | National Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations in Taiwan |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Format | 133 |
Page generated in 0.0139 seconds