Oral Healthcare And The Frail Elder

Oral healthcare is an integral part of overall health and well-being, and it is a significant and increasing challenge as people grow frail. Incidence of caries and gingivitis among residents of long-term care facilities are on the rise, and daily oral hygiene is often difficult for patients who are frail or in need of assistance. Oral Healthcare and the Frail Elder: A Clinical Perspective provides dentists, dental hygienists, and other healthcare professionals with comprehensive, practical instruction on managing the multifaceted oral healthcare needs of frail elders. By discussing background information and relevant literature, the book provides a holistic approach to clinical issues such as oral pain, dry mouth, and periodontal disease. Edited by experts in the field, Oral Healthcare and the Frail Elder enhances clinical application with thorough reviews of pertinent social and ethical issues, access to care issues, and the practicalities for overcoming these in order to provide high-quality oral healthcare to an aging population.

Oral healthcare is an integral part of overall health and well-being, and it is a significant and increasing challenge as people grow frail. Incidence of caries and gingivitis among residents of long-term care facilities are on the rise, and daily oral hygiene is often difficult for patients who are frail or in need of assistance. Oral Healthcare and the Frail Elder: A Clinical Perspective provides dentists, dental hygienists, and other healthcare professionals with comprehensive, practical instruction on managing the multifaceted oral healthcare needs of frail elders. By discussing background information and relevant literature, the book provides a holistic approach to clinical issues such as oral pain, dry mouth, and periodontal disease. Edited by experts in the field, Oral Healthcare and the Frail Elder enhances clinical application with thorough reviews of pertinent social and ethical issues, access to care issues, and the practicalities for overcoming these in order to provide high-quality oral healthcare to an aging population.

This book provides a comprehensive review of the assessment and management of older people’s oral health care needs. Discussing recent initiatives to emphasize oral health promotion and prevention, the book describes improvements in pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for special populations in geriatrics and illuminates the role of barriers to oral health care for older people. Divided into three sections, the book first explores aging and oral health, including age-related changes, epidemiology, nutrition, dysphagia, aspiration pneumonia, xerostomia and hyposalivation, management of periodontal disease and caries, systemic diseases that influence oral health, and considerations for chronic orofacial pain. The second section illuminates the ways in which frailty and other geriatric syndromes influence oral health care in older adults with a special focus on frailty, dementia, delirium and depression, and the delivery of oral health care to vulnerable geriatric populations in long-term care, home care, palliative care, and hospice. Lastly, the book addresses inequalities in the oral health of older minority populations, the disproportionate burden of oral disease and tooth loss, the contribution of these issues to further complications in comorbidities, the association of extended health literacy and periodontal disease, and the social and cultural conditions that might be altered or improved by healthcare programs and health policies. Oral Health and Aging is a useful book written by an international group of experts and designed to educate geriatricians, primary care physicians, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, speech and language pathologists, dietitians, and health policy advocates.

This excellent new work confronts two important oral health policy concerns in the United States: the disparities in the oral disease burden and the inability of certain segments of the population to access oral health care. The book examines in depth this crucial yet frequently overlooked indicator of seniors’ quality of life. It provides an invaluable set of recommendations to the clinical, research, and administrative communities that will serve the elderly population.

This contributed volume is based on the "European Core Competences Framework for health and social care professionals working with older people" (ECCF), developed and verified in a unique international cooperation between 26 universities and universities of applied sciences in 25 European countries, part of the European Later Life Active Network (ELLAN). In addition to the framework, the book outlines the necessary qualifications and describes the roles of professionals working with older people in health and social services. It explores healthy ageing for older people from different perspectives and describes the seven roles of health and social care professionals (Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Organizer, Health and Welfare Advocate, Scholar, and Professional), before going on to define 18 related competences and elaborating them in performance indicators. Beyond the ECCF, the book explains the widely used CanMED role model and puts forward theories to support a client centered and integrated approach on health and social care in order to change attitudes toward older clients and offer better care and support. It also provides health and social care professionals, for example nurses, allied health professionals and social workers with new contextual information and cultural awareness. It gives a voice to students by addressing selected perspectives for professional development. The book includes questions for reflective learning helping to make the book a vital practical instrument for use in the educational context throughout Europe. Europe’s ageing populations represent a major challenge for both public health and social care systems. 18% of the population is 65 years old and over, and this proportion will increase in the coming years. As a result, more and more health and social care professionals will work with older people in different settings – at home, in the community, in hospitals or in long-term care settings. Older people, and especially the frail, face a host of interrelated issues, e.g. cognitive restrictions, functional restrictions, psychosocial problems, multimorbidity, polypharmacy and social isolation. These problems call for an integrated approach to health and social care, which this book supplies. It is intended for health and social care professionals, students and educators, for a better understanding of Europe’s ageing society and of the impact on care and services. Furthermore, the ECCF offers educational institutes a unique resource for curriculum development, education, training and assessment.

Textbook of Geriatric Dentistry, Third Edition provides a comprehensive review of the aging process and its relevance to oral health and dentistry. Now in full colour, this third edition has been fully revised and updated with new material encompassing recent research and clinical developments within geriatric dentistry. Written in a clear and accessible style, this is an essential guide to geriatric dental practice for undergraduate and postgraduate dentistry students and practicing clinicians alike. Key features include: Contributions from an international group of expert authors Comprehensive coverage of oral healthcare issues in the older adult, from demographics and physiology through to nutrition and pharmacology Provides both foundational knowledge and a guide to clinical management New chapters including material on orofacial pain, quality of life and treatment planning

This book provides basic knowledge and skills for non-dental healthcare practitioners, helping them recognize the importance of oral health, perform initial oral health assessments, consult dentists when necessary, and offer preventive advice and counseling. As people age, they tend to refrain from routine dental care, while the number of consultations with non-dental healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists etc.) increases. However, few healthcare providers are adequately trained to assess oral problems. The relevance of this book is underscored by the recently published European policy recommendations on oral health in older adults by the European College of Gerodontology and the European Geriatric Medicine Society, which highlight the importance of the active involvement of non-dental primary care practitioners in oral health assessment and promotion. These two respected European Societies have identified a significant gap in education, practice and health policies and described the necessary action plans. This book helps to fill the educational gap identified in the recommendations and will be an invaluable tool for all healthcare providers working with older people.