Teaching Oral Health Care for Older Adults
Periodontal disease and other symptoms of poor oral health are increasingly associated with diabetes, cancer, heart and lung disease, and progression of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, research has shown. Nurses are often the frontline caregivers in home health and community clinical settings for older, frail adults and must, therefore, develop these essential skills.
Created in partnership with the Oral Health Nursing Education and Practice (OHNEP) program at the Rory Meyers College of Nursing at New York University, the following four teaching strategies in the critical area of oral health have been added to the NLN's signature Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACE.S) Program.