[Dysphagia] Reintroduction of taste

[Tammy.Gadbois at med.va.gov (Tammy.Gadbois@med.va.gov)]

I have a patient with a severe TBI (much worse than Terri Schiavo if you're
familiar with her status) who after 14 + years of being sedated with
Phenobarbital is now weaned off it and is becoming a little more alert.
During his awake times he is able to indicate yes/no fairly accurately with
foot movement or raising a finger.  His family want to give him as much
stimuli for QOL as they can and they want to know about offering him tastes.
He does not effectively manage his own secretions and gets pneumonia about
2x/year.  Has been tube fed for the entire 14+ years.  His oral care is not
great because he bites down and won't let you in to clean effectively.  Any
thoughts or suggestions????

Thanks, Tammy C Gadbois
Audiologist/Speech Language Pathologist
VA Medical Center - Tomah, WI