Dental Care for Seniors
If you are a caregiver for an elderly person, helping to maintain their dental health can be a difficult task to broach and execute.
Whether you are a family caregiver or a professional caregiver, you may encounter a bit of resistance initially. However, ensuring oral health is an essential part of caring for an elder’s overall health
Here are a few practical guidelines to help ensure the oral care and support you provide is both effective and kind.
- Look out for any existing oral conditions
Mouth or tooth pain can leave anyone feeling poorly. As you provide support with tooth brushing and dental hygiene, keep an eye on any changes in gum and tooth health.
- How to help with teeth brushing
It is important to make the experience as pleasant and comfortable as possible. Brushing teeth can easily be done simply sitting up in bed and rinsing into a cup.
- Cleanliness after meals and throughout the day
Having frequent sips of water during the day is a great way of keeping the mouth feeling fresh and moist. After meals ensure all food is wiped away and ask your loved one to rinse into a cup to remove any remaining food from their mouth.
- Don’t forget about the dentist
Most dentist recommend that seniors pay their dentist a visit every six months for a checkup and thorough clean
- A few notes on diet
Often foods that are easy to prepare, eat and chew are also high in sugars and refined carbohydrates. There are plenty of great tasting healthy options that are easy for caregivers to prepare.
Be sure to check out our next weeks blog article on easy and nutritious meals for caregivers to prepare