Head and neck cancer patients in Shropshire suffering the late side effects of treatment are to benefit from a special therapy option, thanks to a grant from Get A-Head.
The grant, for just £74.99, will buy an Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) device that helps patients to maintain their ability to swallow and speak by strengthening the muscles in the neck and throat.
The device is not funded by the NHS so Get A-Head was delighted to step in to help patients’ post- treatment at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust.
Get A-Head director Danni Heath said: “This is a relatively small amount of money but the benefits could be life changing for patients suffering the late effects of radiotherapy.
“The cost is prohibitive for some patients, even those who don’t meet the income threshold for help from other charities like Macmillan.
“The device helps the patient strengthen the key muscles used for breathing out, coughing or swallowing, and can help avoid choking and delay or prevent the need for tube feeding.
“This is a good example of the big difference we can make to the lives of people living with the effects of head and neck cancers.”
Speech therapist Annette Zuydam, who applied for the grant on behalf of the trust, said: “With advances in head and neck cancer treatment, more patients are surviving.
“I have a number of patients being referred with late effects of radiotherapy. Assessment often reveals scarring of the throat leading to swallowing problems and often food/liquid going down the wrong way.
“EMST is a rehabilitation approach which uses a device to exercise and increase the maximal pressure of the expiratory muscles. These muscles are important for breathing out forcefully, coughing, and swallowing. Improvements in swallow safety have been found to improve significantly following an eight-week programme of EMST.”
As well as providing equipment to help patients live with the effects of treatment, Get A-Head also funds vital research into the causes and treatments of head and neck conditions, particularly cancer, pays for education and training for health care professionals, and funds complementary therapies which can help soften the effects of gruelling treatments.
