Janet Wallace and her team at Senior Smiles and The University of Newcastle are doing great work around Oral health for those living in residential care homes. Here at the Foundation we value and see the vital importance of good oral hygiene and are proud to share this important work…. Read and watch more…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM6o8fAWSVE
Janet and her team have created a series of posters, which she has generously shared with us – we will be sharing one a month over the coming months, see PDF attachments at the end of this article
‘Senior Smiles’ Preventive Oral Health care for People Living in Residential Aged Care Facilities.
‘Senior Smiles’ is translational research developed by Associate Professor Janet Wallace and the oral health team from the University of Newcastle, Australia. The program is supported by 10 years of research within the Residential Aged Care (RACF) in NSW, Australia.
This program places a qualified oral health practitioner (dental hygienist or oral health therapist) in the RACF to provide oral health education and guidance for staff and residents, the oral health practioner develops oral health risk assessments and oral health care plans for residents and establishes referral pathways to dentists and dental prosthetists for timely and appropriate dental treatment.
This model of care enables oral health to be managed appropriately in the RACF environment, this is especially important for those residents that have cognitive impairment such as Dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Residents should be able to have their oral health managed by qualified oral health practioners while they are in RACF, Senior Smiles provides that care.
For information about implementing Senior Smiles in your aged care home, please email Associate Professor Janet Wallace at: wallace@newcastle.edu.au