**1. Introduction**

Everybody is eager to attain old age while preserving as much of their capabilities as possible. The lifespan has indeed increased considerably but is this also true for the disease-free period? Dealing with geriatric patients, there is growing awareness of the importance of the link between old age and swallowing problems. Although the severity and the nature of the swallowing problems are variable, deglutition in the elderly is somewhat compromised due to a decreased functional reserve [1]. However, it is important to distinguish between changes due to normal aging (i.e., presbyphagia) and changes due to pathologic conditions (i.e., dysphagia) caused by age-related diseases and their treatment. In primary aging a number of functions stay preserved, a number of functions deteriorate, and some compensatory mecha‐ nisms are evident.

Though a number of physiological, anatomical, and functional changes take place in the process of aging inducing an increased risk for dysphagia in older patients, the swallowing of a healthy older adult in not per se impaired. *Presbyphagia* refers to characteristic changes in the swallowing mechanism of otherwise healthy older adults [2].

While presbyphagia remains largely asymptomatic, as in contrast to presbyopia or presbya‐ cousis [3], dysphagia implies the presence of a symptomatic swallowing problem. In healthy aging there seems to be no reduction of the quality of life linked to deglutition [4]. Dysphagia arises from the combination of presbyphagia and a pathologic condition such as a stroke [5], Parkinson's disease [6], or dementia [7], just to mention the three most frequently encountered ones. Moreover, the geriatric patient with a diminished functional reserve, admitted in hospital with an acute illness, may develop a delirious state and subsequently a swallowing problem. There is also an increased likelihood that iatrogenic causes such as medication, surgical interventions, or radiotherapy are involved and finally the so-called frail elderly may be

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reaching the lower limits of his physiological reserves, which may induce a swallowing problem.
