The onset of memory loss may at first bring about small changes in a loved one’s behavior, but over time, these changes become more pronounced. As memory is challenged, seniors begin to fail at completing daily routines, including regular and effective dental hygiene. In fact, several studies have linked poor dental hygiene to dementia both as a cause and a result. For seniors in memory care, dental hygiene is essential to overall health and well-being and should be an integrated part of daily care. Here are factors to consider when managing dental hygiene for seniors in memory care.
Many medications can have negative effects on oral health. One of the most common is dry mouth, which can be caused by both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Dry mouth occurs when saliva production slows. Because saliva is essential to a healthy mouth, and to our ability to swallow and digest food, less saliva can mean a lower ability to fight infections and an increase in dental problems like tooth decay, gingivitis and thrush. Another compounding factor is that seniors in memory care often forget to drink enough water, so that dehydration can make the problem worse.
Other medication impacts include mucositis (tissue inflammation) from chemotherapy; swollen gums from medications for seizures, immune disorders and blood pressure; and ulcers from chemotherapy as well as common drugs like aspirin and antibiotics.
To best avoid these possibilities, always discuss prescription side effects with the senior’s physician, read enclosed drug information on all medications, and be sure to inform the senior’s dentist of all medications so they can recommend or prescribe treatments to counter negative effects before they become problems.
According to statista.com, “41.23 million Americans used dentures in 2019.” If your senior in memory care is one of them, keep in mind that dentures can pose a number of challenges from keeping them clean to maintaining a good fit to even remembering where they put them the night before.
One common denture-related problem is stomatitis or a sore mouth caused by inflammation that can occur anywhere in the mouth. Seniors with ill-fitting dentures or other problems may not be able to chew well and may avoid eating or may not want to wear their dentures at all. If a senior is experiencing denture discomfort, it’s time to see the dentist to find out why and seek treatment.
If all is well, dentures should be cleaned every day with a soft denture brush and warm (not hot) water, and rinsed after each meal. It is also essential to brush the senior’s palate, gums and cheeks before inserting and after removing dentures, and to make sure all denture fixative has been removed from the mouth. For more about good denture care, check out “Denture Care Tips for Family Caregivers – A Key to Senior Health,” from seniorcarecorner.com.
Memory care patients often benefit from regular routines and keeping one for dental hygiene can make it much easier, especially when a senior can no longer help themselves. Sometimes, however, dementia patients will need a little flexibility, so the routine does not become something they try to avoid. Here are tips from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Family Care Giver Alliance to guide the routine for care givers:
Brightside Assisted Living & Memory Care at Ganton’s Countryside offers optimum care and a safe and secure state-of-the-art environment for seniors with dementia. For more information about Countryside, please call Margaret Nagel at (517) 206-5000 or download our brochure to learn about our care levels, cost, and amenities.