As SLPs who started in nursing homes, we saw A LOT of patients receiving diets of blended food and thick liquids. This was frustrating for the patients and sad for us. Food nourishes and heals. We eat to live, and we live to eat. Upwards of 67% of patients in nursing homes are on modified diets. This is not something we were willing to swallow. And it turns out, it isn’t always necessary…
Research tells us that most patients in nursing homes have dysphagia but are not adequately assessed in 75% of facilities. Assumptions are made without any diagnostic imaging to determine their swallowing abilities. These patients need a swallow study to get them safely eating and drinking what they love. One of the only ways to get a study is to send your patient to the hospital. This is hard. It's expensive for the facility, time-consuming, and often uncomfortable for the patient. Could there be another way?
The solution is simple. We come directly to the bedside with a hospital-grade swallow evaluation so the patient can stay in the comfort and safety of their bed. No matter who they are or where they live, people can and should eat and drink the things they love.
Our Team
George Barnes MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S
George Barnes MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-S is a board-certified specialist in swallowing and swallowing disorders who has developed expertise in dysphagia management, focusing on diagnostics and clinical decision-making in the medically complex population. George yearns to make education useful and quality care accessible. With a passion for food and a deep appreciation for the joy and connection it brings to our lives, he has dedicated his life to helping others enjoy this simple but deep-rooted pleasure.
Allie Boyer Mataras
MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS
Allie has treated patients with dysphagia in a variety of settings. Allie has served as a featured presenter at the New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association Convention and is a 3-time ASHA ACE Award recipient for her dedication towards continuing education. She has successfully implemented and managed FEES programs at the corporate level and she is the Director of Fundraising for Dysphagia Outreach Project. Allie believes wholeheartedly that all persons with dysphagia should have direct access to the tools that are vital in both the management of dysphagia, as well as in the overall improvement of quality of life.
Jim is the Founder and Owner of East Coast Dysphagia Management. He specializes in providing mobile FEES services in the SNF setting. Over the past 25 years he has personally performed almost 10,000 procedures in as many as 175 facilities in NJ, PA & DE. Jim is strongly devoted to his patients and improving the quality of their lives through his experienced use of FEES and treatment of dysphagia; while building relationships with them and more than 600 treating SLPs. He has contributed to the advancement of his profession by educating others on the value of FEES by sharing his experience as a frequent presenter at PSHA conventions and providing university lectures.
Jim Lemma MA, CCC-SLP
Jim Lemma MA, CCC-SLP