Thick-It® Dysphagia Practitioner’s Toolkit: Downloadable Resources

Get Your Dysphagia Practitioner’s Toolkit

Practical, evidence-based resources to support safer swallowing, informed care decisions, and better patient outcomes.

Dysphagia care requires more than understanding the condition; it requires the right tools to support patients and caregivers every day.

To better understand what healthcare professionals need most, we surveyed members of the dysphagia care community to share the challenges, questions, and resource gaps they encounter in practice. The result is the Dysphagia Practitioner’s Toolkit, a collection of practical resources developed in response to the needs identified by responding clinicians, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.

Each carefully developed resource aligns with key areas covered in the “Building Your Dysphagia Care Toolkit” webinar, helping you apply best practices with confidence and consistency.

What’s Inside the Toolkit:

Customizable Patient Instruction Form
- Provide clear, individualized guidance for patients and caregivers. This form helps reinforce recommended diet textures, swallowing strategies, and daily care practices in a way that’s easy for patients to follow outside of clinical settings.
Dysphagia: What It Means
- A foundational overview of dysphagia, including causes, risks, and potential complications. Designed to support patient and caregiver understanding of why consistent care is critical.
How to Get Started: Your Dysphagia Care Checklist
- Help patients and caregivers take the first steps with confidence. This checklist outlines key considerations, tools, and practices needed to begin managing dysphagia safely.
Safe and Comfortable Mealtimes
- Support safer mealtime practices while helping patients maintain independence and confidence. This resource focuses on positioning, pacing, and habits that protect the airway and improve the dining experience.
Why Mouth Care Matters
- Reinforce the role of oral care in dysphagia management. Includes practical guidance to help reduce oral bacteria and support safer swallowing as part of daily routines.
Medication Swallowing Aids Information Sheet
- Support safer medication administration with guidance on common challenges, swallowing strategies, and considerations for patients with dysphagia.
Safe Food Handling For Dysphagia
- A simple guide for keeping food safe to eat when preparing dysphagia diets.
Managing Dry Mouth Information Sheet
- Support hydration and comfort with strategies to manage dry mouth, which can impact swallowing safety, medication intake, and overall quality of life.
Product Mixing & Measuring Guide: Thick-It® Original Food & Beverage Thickener
- Step-by-step instructions for preparing thickened beverages and foods with reliable results to support prescribed liquid thickness levels.
Product Mixing & Measuring Guide: Thick-It® Clear Advantage® Food & Beverage Thickener
- Guidance for achieving smooth, clear, and reliable thickening across a variety of beverages, supporting accurate preparation and safer swallowing.
IDDSI Slightly Thick, Level 1 Overview
- Understand Slightly Thick, Level 1 liquids and how they may support improved control during swallowing for individuals who require minimal thickening.
IDDSI Mildly Thick, Level 2 Overview
- Understand Mildly Thick, Level 2 liquids and how they may help slow liquid flow to support safer swallowing.
IDDSI Moderately Thick, Level 3 Overview
- Understand Moderately Thick, Level 3 liquids and Liquidised foods, including how they may support swallowing safety and improved oral control.
IDDSI Puréed, Level 4 Overview
- Understand Extremely Thick, Level 4 liquids and Puréed foods, including how greater texture modification may support safer swallowing.
IDDSI Minced & Moist, Level 5 Overview
- Understand Minced & Moist, Level 5 foods and how modified food textures may support safer chewing and swallowing.