Oral care for dementia patients.
This was one of the care aspects that was the most challenging for me, especially when caring for people suffering with dementia. It was difficult to carry out proper oral hygiene when the patient involved was not willing to cooperate in any way. Coaxing them and explaining the importance of cleaning their teeth, most of the time, was ignored. Especially true if the person involved was at a more advanced stage of dementia.
When nothing worked, and the only option was to give up and try again at a later moment. The same for the patients that had dentures, if they were unwilling to remove the dentures or allow you to remove and clean them,
Oral care is a very important part of keeping the body healthy. It is vital to have a clean mouth and clean teeth otherwise the risk of infection can affect the entire digestive system and impact the quality of life of the person with dementia.
Not only clean, but frequent checking of the state of the persons gums, tongue and inside the cheeks is important. There can be a buildup of food that needs to be removed, gums that are bleeding and a tongue that may be coated. These are all issues that need to be resolved quickly to avoid serious problems.
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