Oral health care issues in aged care facilities in Western Australia: resident and family caregiver views

Abstract

Objective: To investigate resident and family perceptions and attitudes towards oral health care and access to dental services for aged care facility residents. Method: Focus groups and individual interviews with residents and family caregivers were conducted at aged care facilities in the Perth Metropolitan Area, Western Australia. Results: There were 30 participants from twelve aged care facilities (21 residents and nine family caregivers). Five focus groups comprising both residents and family caregivers were conducted in addition to three face‐to‐face interviews with residents. Both groups considered oral health very important to overall health and quality of life. Family caregivers noted a lack of dental check‐ups and specialised professional oral care, particularly in high‐care facilities. Low care residents were more likely to have regular dental check‐ups or dental treatment and off‐site dental visits were straightforward due to their mobility and family member assistance. Family caregivers noted time limitations and lack of expertise in oral health care amongst staff in high‐care facilities, and the challenges of maintaining oral care for residents with poor mobility or cognitive impairment. It was considered important that staff and management liaise with family caregivers and family members in provision of oral care. Conclusion: Regular oral care, assessment and treatment were considered limited, particularly for residents in high care. There is a need for comprehensive, ongoing oral health programmes involving appropriately trained and empathetic dental health professionals and staff to improve oral health care in Perth’s aged care facilities.

The impact of frailty on oral care behavior of older people: a qualitative study

“…In recent years, provision of dental care through mobile units has become an increasingly widespread practice in Northern European countries, the USA, Canada and Australia [64-69]. It can indeed solve problems for those with oral pain or discomfort who are unable to attend regular dental practices due to lack of transport or mobility problems.…”

“…They include close observation of patients and effective and empathic communication, and lead to reduction of medical errors and improved health outcomes and patient satisfaction [71]. These approaches are expected to reduce barriers to oral health care encountered in this and other studies [69,75,76], including the invisibility and underreporting of the resident’s oral health concerns. Close observation of residents and empathic communication could be used to learn about and understand the resident’s concerns and wishes, his or her health priorities, oral health attitude and experienced barriers to good oral hygiene practices.…”

“…Compassionate care will help improve the relationship between dentist and patient and between nurse and resident, and may increase the nurse’s willingness to support residents with their oral care. As a result, two of the most frequently reported barriers to oral health care support by nursing staff, lack of prioritization and unfavorable oral healthcare attitude [69,75,77-79], may be mitigated.…”

Oral health care activities performed by caregivers for Institutionalized elderly in Barcelona-Spain

“…Often the work of caregivers has little visibility, the occupation is often underrated and they rarely have opportunities for training or it is not provided with the required frequency (16). Currently, little is known about the profile of caregivers of the elderly, their needs, their training and performance in relation to the activities of oral health of the institutionalized elderly, a relevant aspect since they play a fundamental role in the daily provision of such care.…”

Oral health and dental care in aged care facilities in New South Wales, Australia. Part 3 concordance between residents’ perceptions and a professional dental examination

“…In Western Australia, Paley addressed the resident perception of financial constraint and reported that residents were discouraged by the perceived high costs of dental care, thus hindering regular check‐ups and appropriate treatment. The same researcher conducted a study, which investigated resident and family caregiver perceptions of oral health care and found that regular oral care, assessment and treatment were perceived as limited. Vowles in a survey of ACFs in South Australia reported that 13% of residents were unable to eat satisfactorily, and 16% were dissatisfied with their appearance.…”