Story by Sara Warr
Heather Hermanson had been unable to brush her teeth on her own for about three years due to muscle weakness. But thanks to a new pilot project that’s teaching both staff and residents new tooth brushing and other oral health care techniques, she’s gained back some of her independence.
“It’s nice to have a clean mouth, and it’s nice to have help doing it,” says Hermanson, a resident at the Hythe Continuing Care Centre. “I’m getting used to doing some of it for myself again. Now I can do one side of my mouth, and the staff still help me with the rest. It feels good.”
The pilot program – which trains staff on how to offer daily support and watch for oral disease in order to keep residents’ mouths healthy - not only aims to promote overall oral health by encouraging daily brushing amongst long-term care residents, it also helps staff keep up to date on seniors dental care needs, which have changed significantly over the years.
“There aren’t as many people with dentures anymore,” says Cindi de Graaff - Provincial Oral Health Team Lead for Alberta Health Services (AHS). “We’re seeing more and more people keeping their natural teeth into their senior years, and those teeth need to be maintained differently than dentures.”
Aging can also bring complex health care issues that can compound each other. Certain medications can cause dry mouth, which can in turn lead to tooth decay, and dementia or related illnesses can also make it harder for staff to work with residents on identifying emerging oral health issues.
By teaching staff an expanded variety of techniques and strategies, the pilot program helps staff identify and manage challenges associated with daily mouth care, for each resident.
“As seniors’ ability to provide their own oral care decreases, this program really helps trains nursing staff to recognize this, and provide the level and type of support that respects and is appropriate to the independence, comfort and needs of each individual,” says Joanne Penteluk, a registered dental hygienist with AHS.”
Staff at the Hythe Continuing Care Centre - one of three sites taking part in the pilot project – agree.
“We were taught a lot about different ways to brush residents’ teeth that I wouldn’t have thought of before the training,” says nursing attendant Corry Lemire. “This training helped me feel confident that I can recognize and provide the level and type of care that is right for each of my residents, as they age and their needs change.”
AHS continues to expand this training; since this article was first written, this pilot program has rolled out to 34 more facilities in Alberta.
