Patient CareQuestion 20 of 100

When feeding a patient who has had a stroke with left-sided weakness, which action promotes safe swallowing?

a.Place food on the stronger (right) side of the mouth and keep the patient sitting upright
b.Feed rapidly to finish before the patient tires
c.Have the patient lie flat while eating
d.Tilt the head back to help food go down

Explanation

Placing food on the unaffected (stronger) side of the mouth and keeping the patient upright at 90 degrees reduces pocketing of food and lowers aspiration risk. The patient should be given time to chew and swallow, and the chin should be slightly tucked, not tilted back. Tilting the head back opens the airway and increases aspiration risk.

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