Malissa Savage, a community health worker who works with people in need of dental care, notes that variations in physical ability, mental capacity and behavior often call for flexibility and creativity by the individual and their caregivers.
Savage works for Allegany Health Right, a Cumberland, Maryland-based safety-net dental care provider for low-income, uninsured/underinsured adults. During a recent opportunity to observe Savage in action teaching, I learned about a number of resources will be useful to you in writing about the challenges and benefits of good home dental care for vulnerable adults.
After Savage finished her talk at day program for disabled adults, she presented me with samples of the support materials she uses in her community health work.
One of the booklets, Dental Care Every Day – A Caregiver’s Guide, offers a number of tips designed to make home care easier for people with disabilities.
“If the person you’re helping is in a wheelchair, sit behind it. Lock the wheels, then tilt the chair into your lap,” the booklet advises.
The booklet also includes inexpensive ways to adapt a toothbrush so it is easier to hold – making a small slit in a tennis ball to fit the handle, for instance, or using a bicycle grip are just two examples.
The booklet, which is published by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), it is not copyrighted and may be freely reproduced and distributed. The online version lists members of the expert review panel who helped create the publication, all of whom could be great resources in your reporting.
It is part of a series of NIDCR publications produced designed to provide professionals and caregivers with basic information about providing care to people with a range of special needs.
The series, An Introduction to Practical Oral Care for People With Developmental Disabilities, also includes booklets that offer special oral health guidance for people with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities.
As Savage handed me another brochure, she reminded me that dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, is a common side effect of many common medications, and can have a serious impact upon oral health.
Since saliva helps keep the teeth and mouth clean, dry mouth can increase the chances of tooth decay and other oral infections.
Finally, in the October issue of the National Institutes of Health’ monthly newsletter, News in Health, featured a collection of oral health home care tips for elders and their caregivers.
Finally, for stories that include special-needs children who need assistance in getting proper dental care, the American Academy of Pediatrics offers this resource.
