Why FEESible Supports Dysphagia Outreach Project
By Allie Boyer MA CCC-SLP
So, you finally got that instrumental, my fellow medical SLP. PHEW! What a relief it is to know EXACTLY what diet your patient with dysphagia should be prescribed, the pathophysiology-based swallow strategies he or she should be using, and to have compiled a beautiful discharge summary with recommendations based on the patient’s wants and needs, your clinical expertise and evidence-based research! We all try our very best to tie up our patients’ dysphagia management recommendations with a pretty little bow before they drive off with their families into the community-based sunset.
It can sometimes be overwhelming to think, however, that the dysphagia instrumental and treatment plan is just the beginning of the rest of your patients’ lives. I have often wondered how all my patients will be able to afford to adhere to my carefully curated treatment plans and recommendations. As an SLP who works with many underserved and underprivileged patients, I can tell you that I rely heavily on Dysphagia Outreach Project (DOP). In fact, I have so much belief and trust in their mission that I volunteer my time as their Director of Fundraising. Allow me to tell you how DOP can be of assistance to you and your patients!
WHO THEY ARE
DOP is a 100% volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 2019. The mission of DOP is to provide meaningful assistance to low-income individuals affected by dysphagia via both its Dysphagia Food Bank and educational divisions. This organization relies on both product and monetary donations to provide its recipients with the safest and most evidence-based dysphagia products shipped right to their front door at no cost to them. DOP also provides free education to patients and families, as well as clinicians and physicians. Additionally, the volunteer branch allows clinicians from across the country to contribute to this cause and is the backbone of the organization which enables DOP to operate in all fifty states in the USA.
OUR STATS
At DOP, no single person within the organization--from the founders to the occasional volunteer--is paid anything. They are a 100% volunteer-based organization. Any donations that come to them go straight to their recipients or to keep the lights on. They’ve received over 10,000 items and distributed over 9,000 of those items. Their average recipient family size is 3.6 people and the average recipient family income is just over $40,000 per year. Lastly, DOP boasts over 151 registered volunteers, whose combined efforts are one of the primary reasons that they are able to provide the help that they do!
HOW MY PATIENTS HAVE BENEFITTED
My adult patients with dysphagia have benefited significantly from the food and product bank division of DOP. My patients have been supplied with multiple months’ worth of liquid thickeners, high calorie/low mastication demand snack bars, and even a blender AT NO COST TO THEM! DOP requires that each recipient receive an instrumental swallow study prior to the receipt of any products from DOP’s food bank division, as they want to ensure that each recipient receives the safest and customized products to tailor-fit their dysphagia needs. This way, I know that my patients are receiving the most ideal products to complement their treatment plans. Furthermore, my patients have directly benefited from the knowledge I have gained by attending DOP’s monthly education webinars--topics thus far have included alternative means of nutrition in patients with advanced dementia, head and neck cancer, as well as the SLP’s role in patient counseling. Lastly, my insider knowledge urges you to be on the lookout for the many educational efforts--including dysphagia awareness campaigns and printable resources--that DOP is planning for 2021!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
In order for DOP to continue to provide this level of assistance to individuals and families in need, they need our help! Visit DOP’s website at dysphagiaoutreach.org to sign up to volunteer, become a financial sponsor, or to become a product donor! Together, we can all help make a difference in the lives of people who are living with dysphagia.
About Allie:
Allie Boyer has over 7 years of experience in the evaluation and treatment of over 1,500 patients with dysphagia. She currently works as a speech-language pathologist in the acute, inpatient rehabilitation, and critical illness recovery hospital settings. She is a member of ASHA Special Interest Group 13 (Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders), Dysphagia Research Society, and the New Jersey Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Allison is a three-time ASHA ACE Award recipient for her dedication towards continuing education in the field of dysphagia. Allison has successfully implemented and managed Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) programs at the corporate level and she proudly serves as the Director of Fundraising at the Dysphagia Outreach Project. Allison is especially excited and honored to be a co-founder of FEESible Swallow Solutions, as she believes wholeheartedly that all persons with dysphagia should have direct access to the tools that are vital in the maintenance and overall improvement of quality of life.
