Swallow Prompt 4.6.0

Swallow Prompt vibrates or beeps at an interval you set, as a discreet reminder to swallow. It is for people who have difficulty managing a build-up of saliva or drooling, often because of a neurological condition such as Parkinson's, stroke, ALS (motor neuron disease), multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy.

WHY A REMINDER HELPS
Swallowing saliva is usually automatic. Parkinson's and other neurological conditions can reduce the urge to swallow and the awareness that saliva is building up. A regular prompt brings swallowing back to mind, without anyone else needing to say anything.

HOW IT WORKS
• Choose an interval, anywhere from every second to every six minutes
• Choose a vibration or a sound
• Press Start. It keeps prompting with the screen off, so the phone can stay in a pocket
• On Apple Watch the prompt is a tap on the wrist, which nobody else notices
• A tone can also be sent to wired or Bluetooth headphones

WHO IT IS FOR
• People with Parkinson's, ALS/MND, stroke, MS or cerebral palsy who find saliva hard to manage
• Caregivers, including parents of children with cerebral palsy
• Speech-language pathologists setting up a prompting routine with a client

WHERE IT COMES FROM
Swallow Prompt was designed and tested by a specialist UK speech and language therapist, Samantha Brady (HCPC registered, member of the RCSLT), and has been on the App Store since 2012.

The idea comes from clinical research. A 2001 study of drooling in Parkinson's (Marks et al., International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders) used a portable metronome brooch to cue swallowing as part of speech and language therapy. Swallow Prompt puts that cue on your iPhone or Apple Watch.

Swallow Prompt is listed in the Parkinson's UK Tech Guide, whose review panel called it "a simple, easy-to-use alert prompting app that helped some to manage their drooling."

WHAT IT DOES NOT DO
Swallow Prompt is a reminder, not a treatment, and it does not replace advice from your doctor or speech-language pathologist. It never uses the microphone, so nothing you say is heard or stored. It does not prompt during phone calls.

A one-off purchase, with no subscription. Free support from the team who built it: support@speechtools.co

License: Commercial