What describes a patient with dysphagia?

A patient with dysphagia is indeed described as a person who has trouble swallowing. Dysphagia is a medical term that specifically refers to difficulty in the swallowing process, which can result from various conditions affecting the esophagus, throat, or muscles involved in swallowing. This can lead to issues with eating and drinking, as well as increase the risk of choking and aspiration, where food or liquid enters the airway.

Understanding this condition is crucial in a healthcare setting, as it often requires specific dietary modifications, careful monitoring during meals, and possibly therapeutic interventions to assist with safe swallowing. The other options do not align with the definition of dysphagia: listening struggles pertain to auditory processing issues, memory problems relate to cognitive functions, and being unresponsive suggests a lack of consciousness rather than a swallowing difficulty.