Yep, that’s what happened to my dad. The same part of the brain handles swallowing, speaking, and cognition. And many of the same muscles are involved.

The best thing for him was seeing a speech therapist. They treat swallowing, speech, and cognition. Highly recommend it. I have a special place in my heart for speech therapists because they’re so patient and knowledgeable, far more than any physician we saw because that’s their area of expertise.