Oral home telecare tutorials for the community-dwelling elderly

The objectives of this empirical study were to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative alterations experienced by community-dwelling elderly and their families when employing oral home telecare (a care service system based on interactive motion-picture transmission between households and healthcare providers). The subjects were four community-dwelling elderly in Kuriyama-cho, Hokkaido. The tutorial programs were designed to provide health information and education, as well as to enhance life skills related to exercise and communication. The programs were provided to the elderly through a new oral healthcare interactive learning system disseminated via an ISDN-based network. Quantitative and qualitative observation data on oral home telecare were collected by videophone and subsequently discussed. Functional independence in daily activities, communication skills, and social cognition, independence in oral care, and oral hygiene status all improved. Clients and their families were able to acquire broader knowledge relating to oral and general health, practical oral homecare skills, and social life skills. The use of this home telecare system as a "preventive home visit" and as a "living environmental tool" incorporating broad social supports could help improve the quality of life of clients and become part of a community oral healthcare service.