Challenge
The challenge put forward by IMQ Igurco is titled: “How can we reduce the risks associated with dysphagia through rehabilitation in addition to dietary adaptation guidelines?”
- The aim of the challenge is to answer the following questions, related to reducing the risks associated with dysphagia:
- How can we improve the quality of life of elderly people with dysphagia?
- How can we reduce or mitigate the risks for people with dysphagia?
- How can we optimise the nutritional status of people with dysphagia, avoid dehydration or reduce the risk of aspiration?
- How can we offer personalised action guidelines for each case?
- How can we treat those cases of dysphagia that are reversible?
Background
Life expectancy in the Basque Country is above the Spanish average, and is also the highest in the whole of the EU as far as women are concerned. It stands at 86.2 years for women and 80.3 years for men, according to statistics compiled by the Basque Statistics Institute (Eustat). One of the major consequences of the increase in life expectancy, together with the decrease in mortality, is the ageing of the population. The ageing of a population is understood to be the increase in the proportion of people over 65 years old in relation to the total population. Spain is undergoing an exponential ageing process, with 9 million people over 65 years old, 19% of the total population. It is also estimated that by 2050 the number of people over 65 years old in Spain will rise to 12 million, which will represent approximately 30% of the total population.
The Basque Country is one of the most aged autonomous communities, with a proportion of elderly people that exceeds 21%. It also has 66,500 users of the dependency care system. In other words, 66,500 people are in a particularly vulnerable situation and require support to carry out essential activities in their daily lives. Of these people, it is estimated that 55% are over 75 years old and another 18% are between 65 and 79 years old.
In 25 years, from 1994 to 2019, the number of care homes for the elderly has increased threefold, from 153 to 448 centres in the Basque Autonomous Community. With regard to day centres, the figure has increased by 45% and there are 514 centres. In 2019, 18,885 elderly people made use of the care homes and at least 50,000 people with degrees II and III of dependency live at home (according to the benefits received).
One of the most common difficulties in old age, affecting between 50% and 65% of institutionalised elderly people and between 30% and 40% of elderly people living independently, is dysphagia, which is described in detail below. This difficulty can, in the most severe cases, lead to problems such as malnutrition, respiratory infections and even death by choking, as well as undermining health and increasing the likelihood of other illnesses.
The causes of dysphagia can differ, but in the Basque Country, where there are some 6,000 stroke cases each year, more than half of patients have difficulty swallowing food and liquids during the first few days after a stroke, which usually subsides within the first few weeks. However, dysphagia may persist in up to 15% of patients.
These data confirm the need to develop social and healthcare resources and to work to create specialised care facilities for people with an acquired brain injury and their families, in order to achieve the highest level of autonomy for patients and improve their quality of life.
Full information about the challenge (pdf)
Bases of the Challenge for Consorcio de aguas Bilbao Bizkaia (pdf)