Report on seniors' dental care. Past experience and future challenges

After attending the CDHA North American Research Conference held in Niagara Falls last October, Ms. Bowes says she found a significant amount of interest in the area of geriatric care being expressed by those in attendance. Consequently, when she returned home, she decided to offer CDHA members an opportunity to gain some insight on this topic from her own experiences. Although no 'formal' report summarizing the findings noted here was ever forwarded to the facilities involved, Ms. Bowes says that "some of the information gathered has been used in documents and reports that were forwarded to the Ministry of Health and the local Board of Health for Simcoe County." The purpose of this report is to alert dental professionals to the future dental needs of our rapidly aging population and to perhaps assist those who are considering the provision of the elderly by outlining my personal experience.