New initiative puts older generation at the centre of oral health care
A scheme covering Kent, Sussex, and Surrey aims to ensure that dental health becomes a priority for the elderly in care.
It has been predicted that by 2020, around 20% of the UK’s population will be 65 or older. As people grow older, many develop physical and/or cognitive disabilities, and need to be cared for either in their own homes, or in residential nursing homes. The development of physical disabilities also means that many older people are unable to properly clean their mouths, and require regular help from their carers. Oral health is key in maintaining a high quality of life, and is second only to mobility, and poor oral health is a known contributing factor in diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, strokes, dementia, and poor oral health has also been associated with pneumonia. These diseases can all result in death, which may have been preventable as a result of good oral care.
Oral health is not considered to be a priority in many care facilities, and is often not regularly provided, as it may be forgotten amongst other priorities. It has also been revealed oral care for residents training is not always provided, as carers are not always trained for it.
This situation led to the start of an initiative which focused on improving the oral care of the elderly in the UK, launched by Earl Howe, Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, at the start of March 2015. This initiative, the Improving the Health of Older Persons Initiative (IOHOPI), was developed to address the growing need for the prioritisation of the oral health of elderly people in a care environment in order to maintain a high quality of life and lessen the risk of developing medical conditions such as pneumonia.
The IOHOPI programme, created in Health Education Kent, Sussex and Surrey and developed in association with partners such as Healthcare Learning: Smile On, the British Dental Health Foundation, and the University of Kent, aims to provide training, resources, and online CPD (continuing professional development) for carers and care home staff in the UK. It also aims to improve residents’ oral health via regular assessment, cleaning, and knowledge of oral conditions by having a care plan and daily monitoring chart for care home residents and the recipients of care. This will hopefully ensure that oral health needs are being met.
