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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Improving Oral Hygiene for Veterans With Dementia in Residential Long-term Care
Eleanor S McConnell1, Kyung Hee Lee, Lorraine Galkowski
1Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina (Dr McConnell); Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (Dr McConnell) and Community Living Center (Ms Galkowski), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Ms Spainhour and Mr Horwitz), Durham, North Carolina; Yonsei University College of Nursing and Mo-Im Kim Nursing Research Institute, Seoul, Korea (Dr Lee); and University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Dentistry (Dr Downey).
Abstract:
Oral hygiene care is neglected in long-term care (LTC) due to patient-, staff-, and systems-level barriers. A dementia-specific oral hygiene program, implemented and evaluated in a Department of Veterans Affairs LTC unit, addressed barriers to oral care at multiple levels. Improved staff competency, access to oral care supplies, and standardized documentation systems were accompanied by reduced oral plaque and gingivitis, demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of direct care staff providing improved oral hygiene in LTC.
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