Background: Lately, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and nutrition in elderly people living in special accommodations have been placed in focus. It has been shown that dysphagia, malnutrition and poor oral care are frequent in frail elderly people. Swallowing training, using an oral screen, has been successfully tested on stroke-afflicted patients with dysphagia. To what extent dysphagia will have an impact on oral health, and nutrition in elderly is poorly evaluated. The aims are to study (1) oral health and OHRQoL together with eating, (2) to compare elderly people and nursing staffs’ perceptions of quality of care, and (3) to evaluate the effect of swallowing training on dysphagia. Early detection and intervention of quality of care related to oral hygiene, dysphagia, and eating, may lead to better care and quality of life for the elderly.
Methods: In this prospective study 400 older people are examined with validated instruments measuring OHRQoL (OHIP14), perception of care quality (QPP), swallowing capacity (SCT) and eating ability (MEONF-II). Patients with dysphagia (n = 40), are included in a swallowing training program (IQoro®), another 40 patients with dysphagia serves as controls.
Results: Preliminary results from 219 patients, (mean age 82 years, 57 % women) shows that 53% are considered to have poor oral hygiene, 75% get no help with oral hygiene, 25% show clinical signs of malnutrition.
Conclusion:Safe eating, swallowing and good oral health for older people is a multidisciplinary responsibility, possible to influence. Key factors of importance for this process will be identified.
2015.
The 21st IAGG European Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG-ER), Dublin, 23-26 April, 2015