PURPOSE: to check if the conditions related to general structure, human resources and daily routine of feeding in asylums can increase the chances for an alteration in the deglutition process of the elderlies. METHODS: a questionnaire was elaborated to be applied to the directors of five institutions in the city of Rio de Janeiro. RESULTS: it can be observed that the sole factor related to the structure of the place that had relevance in the obtained results was the nature of the institution, as the private system was the only one that was considered near the ideal conditions. Regarding the existing human resources, none of the institutions had all the professionals demanded by the Ordinance nº810/89. In relation to the daily feeding routines, in one of the investigated institutions, where the majority of the residents did not use denture, there was no restriction as for the offered food consistency. Another significant factor was the carelessness in terms of oral hygiene, favoring the settling of bacteria in the mouth, which can cause serious consequences in case of microaspirations. In three of the investigated institutions, it was observed that the elderlies lay down to sleep soon after the meals, fact that also had great importance, as this favors the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux episodes that can lead to gradual dysphagia. CONCLUSION: despite the fact that the asylum directors did not mention any referring problem in the process of deglutition of the elderlies, they show proper characteristics that can increase the possibilities for occurrence of alterations in the deglutition of these elderlies.