**5. Discussion**

The thickening products have found wide applications in our practice. An option for a household-friendly thickener expands the possibilities for adequate oral fluid intake. Earlier, in treating and preventing dysphagia, starch was used to thicken liquids (fruit jelly, milk jelly), which had several disadvantages: the need for thermal processing and the difficulty of dosing the degree of thickening. Currently, many specialized thickeners are easy to use and adjust the required degree of thickening. One of them is the reviewed product *Softia S* of NUTRI company, which allows thickening of any liquid, including drinking water, without changing the organoleptic properties of the drink.

The use of this product facilitated the fluid intake by patients after stroke and TBI with mild dysphagia when swallowing is complicated. Therefore, the use of the product has led to significant facilitation of patient care by medical staff and optimization of their working hours. Furthermore, the regular use of the product decreased the degree of dysphagia resulting from the normalizing act of swallowing due to the training of the oropharyngeal phase in conditions of collective work of the oral-articulatory apparatus, the muscles of the larynx; also, reducing the time of eating, reducing the frequency of choking and manifestations of dysphonia with sputum contributed to an improvement in the quality of life of patients and the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures.

It is difficult to achieve a uniform consistency of mashed products at home. Often, patients take factory-made and ready-made baby purees. Although, on the one hand, this somewhat limits the choice of flavor combinations, on the other, it significantly increases the financial burden on the patient's family. Therefore, we considered the possibility of using the product *Softia G* from NUTRI.

This product made it easier for patients to take food after stroke and TBI with mild dysphagia and difficulty swallowing food, which has led to significant ease of patient care by medical personnel and, most importantly, increased the amount of food consumed.

The degree of dysphagia decreased with regular use of the product, as in the above-considered option for thickening drinks, due to the oropharyngeal phase training in conditions of the oral-articulatory collective work apparatus and the muscles of the larynx.

The frequency of choking and manifestations of dysphonia with sputum decreased significantly, contributing to an improvement in the quality of life of patients and the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures. In addition, an increase in the consumption of macronutrients and the total amount of food received helps prevent the development of protein-energy malnutrition due to underfeeding and improve the nutritional status of patients.

Providing oral food and drink intake in patients with mild dysphagia of various origins is of great importance both in the process of rehabilitation and in subsequent care. It is necessary, if possible, to strive to obtain the total amount of nutrition through natural routes in this category of patients. For these purposes, the use of thickeners *Softia S* and *Softia G* is suitable. The inclusion of these products in the diet increases the safety of oral intake of food and liquids for patients, increases

the amount of food eaten, and can also help to eliminate the phenomena of mild dysphagia during rehabilitation.
