Oral Health: An Essential Element of Healthy Aging
This newsletter from the Geronotological Society of America provides an overview of linkages between oral health, systemic conditions, functional abilities, and healthy aging. In addition to calling attention to the importance of oral health, this publication highlights special oral health challenges now faced by the world's rapidly aging population. It provides a valuable and up-to-date resource for clinicians, researchers, educators, and policy-makers across disciplines to quickly bring them up to speed on key areas of concern in geriatric oral health.
Interprofessional Solutions for Improving Oral Health in Older Adults: Addressing Access Barriers, Creating Oral Health Champions
This white paper from the Gerontological Society of America summarizes the recommendations generated at an interprofessional national stakeholder forum through a concensus-building process to identify key research, education, policy, practice, and funding needs to improve oral health outcomes in older adults.
A State of Decay: Are Older Americans Coming of Age Without Oral Healthcare?
This report from the Wisdom Tooth Project, a program of Oral Health America, discusses the key indicators of oral health in older adults for each state to shine a light on successes and barriers yet to be overcome. The report is designed for use by both professionals and consumers.
Growing Older with a Smile- Promoting Oral Health for Older Adults
This webinar from Dr. Steve Shuman (University of Minnesota School of Dentistry) and Andie Kyros (Oral Health America) reviews key oral health concerns for older adults, connections between oral and systemic health, and potential barriers to dental care for older adults, as well as resources to address them. The webinar and its handouts are free to access for Minnesota Gerontological Society members. Non-members are required to pay a $15 fee.
Teach Curriculum- Geriatric Oral Health
Smiles for Life has developed materials to help educators implement the curriculum into an academic setting. Each of the eight 45 minute presentations can be downloaded, complete with annotated presenter notes, companion videos, PDFs of the Implementation Guide, ACGME formatted Educational Objectives, Test Questions, and a listing of high quality Resources designed to serve as a base for oral health training. Course 8 is specific to Geriatric Oral Health. It is required to register a free account to access the curriculum.
Seniors and Oral Health
This web page from the Minnesota Dental Association shares information and resources for older adults their caregivers related to the importance of keeping teeth and gum tissues clean and healthy as we age. In addition, a comprehensive video series and companion workbook from the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota's Oral Health Services for Older Adults Program are included, which focus on providing oral care in long-term care environments.
Managing Multicomplexity in the Homebound Patient
This online course from the Home Centered Care Institute presents a model for treating patients with four of the more common chronic diseases found in the home-based primary care (HBPC) patient population: diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic kidney disease. Medication management and challenges faced by caregivers are also discussed. This course is intended for primary care providers working with homebound patients with multiple chronic diseases. Estimated time to complete module is 30 minutes. The course is free to access through 2020.
Adults Over 60- Your Dental Health
This web page from the American Dental Association provides information related to oral health for people ages 60 and up. Some topics include healthy habits, nutrition tips, dry mouth, dentures, implants, medications, diabetes, cancer, smoking, and gum disease.
Call for Applications: Interprofessional Expert Panel
Leveraging the IPEC Competency Framework to Transform Health Professions Education
Deadline extended to December 4, 2020!
Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Pain Management
This presentation (1:17:04) given by Dr. John A. Drew Sturgeon from the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, is part of the NW GWEC's Geriatric Health Care Lecture Series for Winter 2020. Dr. Drew Sturgeon reviews research regarding evidence-based psychological approaches for pain management in older adults. He also describes mechanisms of effective non-pharmacologic pain management in older adults.