If a nursing home resident struggles with swallowing, they may have to undergo a swallow test. The test can be a bedside one with minimal equipment, or it can involve real time x-ray images of the throat. In the bedside swallow test, a doctor may do a physical examination of the throat muscles required to swallow properly. Then, the elderly person must swallow different substances. Meanwhile, some dysphagia sufferers undergo a swallow test that involves real time x-ray images. In this type of test, elderly people must swallow a barium and food mixture. The barium allows doctors to clearly see the person’s throat movements on the x-ray images.