Supporting Safe Swallowing at Home: Medasyst MyCare for Dementia Action Week 2025

Dementia Action Week in Australia runs 15–21 September 2025, culminating in World Alzheimer’s Day on Sunday 21 September. This year’s theme—Nobody can do it alone—is a timely reminder that people living with dementia, their families, and clinicians need practical tools that genuinely help at home. That’s where Medasyst MyCare focuses: supporting safer, simpler medicine routines for people with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) and the carers who help them every day. Dysphagia medication assistance device. Dementia Australia+1Compass 

We’ll be out in the community during Dementia Action Week—and we’ll also be on the floor at two major Melbourne events later in the year: the Melbourne Disability Connection Expo (3–4 October 2025, Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre) and the Melbourne Disability Expo (21–22 November 2025, MCEC). If dysphagia affects you, a family member, or someone you support professionally, come talk to us—we’re listening, learning, and demonstrating how Medasyst MyCare can help. Developing Aus CommunitiesMelbourne Disability Expo

Why dysphagia needs a bigger spotlight during Dementia Action Week: dysphagia medication assistance device

Dementia is one of Australia’s most significant health challenges, affecting more than 421,000 Australians today and projected to rise without medical breakthroughs. Swallowing changes are common in dementia and can make everyday tasks—like taking tablets—stressful and risky. Dementia Australia+1

Research consistently links dysphagia with aspiration pneumonia, dehydration, malnutrition, and medication non-adherence in people living with dementia. Recent systematic reviews confirm that targeted swallowing interventions can reduce adverse outcomes, but day-to-day success also depends on how medicines are prepared and administered at home. SpringerLink+1

In aged care and at home, as many as one in five older adults have difficulty swallowing tablets or capsules. Altering dosage forms (e.g., crushing tablets) is common, yet it can compromise drug effect and safety if not guided by evidence. Australia’s leading guidance—the Don’t Rush to Crush handbook—exists precisely because these decisions are nuanced and medicine-specific. Australian PrescriberAdpha

The medication challenge: getting swallowing support right

When swallowing is difficult, people and carers often try to “make tablets easier” by crushing solids or mixing with food or thickened fluids. But there are real risks:

• Altering tablets can change how a medicine works (e.g., modified-release or enteric-coated medicines), and may be unsafe without pharmacist or prescriber approval. Australian Prescriber

• Thickened fluids—used to reduce aspiration risk—can affect drug bioavailability, and are associated with poor intake and dehydration if not carefully managed. The evidence base is evolving; decisions should be individualized with speech pathologists and pharmacists. ScienceDirectBioMed CentralOpus at UTS

• For people receiving NDIS supports, the NDIS Commission highlights the need for documented mealtime and dysphagia plans and trained support staff to keep people safe. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

Australia’s pharmacists, speech pathologists, nurses, and prescribers do remarkable work here. Medasyst MyCare is built to fit into—not replace—those clinical relationships.

How Medasyst MyCare helps at home (and supports your clinical guidance)

Medasyst MyCare is designed as a home-help companion for medicine routines when swallowing is hard. We don’t tell you to crush or thicken—we prompt the plan you and your clinicians agree on, and we make it easier to follow every day. Dysphagia medication assistance device.

What MyCare focuses on:

• Clear, timed reminders that align with your prescribed schedule, reducing missed or doubled doses.

• Step-by-step, on-screen guidance for how each dose should be given—e.g., “use liquid formulation,” “administer with clinician-approved thickened fluid,” or “do not crush.” These instructions are configurable according to your pharmacist’s advice and Don’t Rush to Crush guidance. Adpha

• Carer visibility and alerts: optional notifications when doses are due, skipped, or flagged as difficult—so families feel supported, not stressed.

• Capture and share what matters: optional adherence logs you can share with your pharmacist or GP, making medication reviews more informed.

• Accessible design: large text, high-contrast UI, and voice prompts to suit cognitive changes common in dementia.

• Education at your fingertips: plain-language explainers on safe swallowing practices with links to trusted Australian resources (Dementia Australia, Speech Pathology Australia, NDIS Commission). Dementia AustraliaSpeech Pathology AustraliaNDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

Important: Medasyst MyCare supports your care plan. Always seek advice from your prescriber, pharmacist, or speech pathologist before altering a medicine or using thickeners.

Where to meet us and try MyCare: Dysphagia medication assistance device

• Dementia Action Week (15–21 Sept 2025): We’ll be participating in community events throughout the week—check our social media platforms, try a guided demo, and share your feedback. The Dementia Australia event calendar lists local activities across the country. Dementia Australia+2Dementia Australia+2

• Melbourne Disability Connection Expo (3–4 Oct 2025, MCEC): A great chance to speak with our team about dysphagia, see reminder flows in action, and discuss how MyCare can reflect your clinician’s instructions. Free to attend. Developing Aus Communities

• Melbourne Disability Expo (21–22 Nov 2025, MCEC): If you prefer a later date, meet us here; we’ll be demonstrating caregiver alerts and adherence summaries. Free registration available. Melbourne Disability Expo

Evidence we build on (in plain language): Dysphagia medication assistance device

• Dementia prevalence & impact (Australia): Dementia Australia provides up-to-date figures and projections used widely by clinicians and policymakers. Dementia Australia

• Dysphagia in dementia: Systematic reviews link dysphagia to serious clinical consequences but show benefits from targeted interventions—reminding us that how we administer medicines matters. SpringerLink

• Dosage-form alteration risks: Australian Prescriber and Don’t Rush to Crush explain why “just crush it” can be unsafe for certain medicines. MyCare’s prompts are designed to reinforce that guidance at home. Australian PrescriberAdpha

• Thickened fluids & medicines: Emerging research explores how thickening agents influence drug absorption; best practice is to personalize plans with your health team. ScienceDirectWiley Online LibraryBioMed Central

• Safety frameworks: The NDIS Commission emphasizes mealtime plans and trained supports to reduce preventable harm for people with disability, including those with dysphagia. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

Call to action

If you live with dysphagia—or support someone who does—visit Medasyst MyCare during Dementia Action Week and at the Melbourne disability expos. Bring your questions and your lived experience. We’ll show you how MyCare can make medicine time clearer, calmer, and safer—always aligned to your clinician’s advice.