An app to support oral hygiene care: Increasing attitudes, knowledge, and confidence in identifying oral health problems among caregivers of persons living with dementia

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

Purpose

To develop and pilot test an App to help family and paid caregivers perform high quality oral hygiene care.

Methods

A prototype of the App was refined based on stakeholder feedback (e.g., dental care professionals, direct care providers, nursing home administrator, family caregivers). The refined App was pilot tested with 16 family caregivers and 15 paid care providers of persons living with dementia (PLWD). Participants completed a pre‐test, watched an App demonstration, used it for 2 weeks, and completed a post‐test. Surveys included both structured and open‐ended questions.

Results

Phase 1 data informed the refinement of the App that led to high acceptability and usability by the Phase 2 participants. Both family and paid caregivers reported a significant increase in attitudes toward providing oral hygiene care to frail older adults ( p = .05 and p = .02 for family and paid providers, respectively), knowledge about oral health and care ( p = .01 and p = .02), and ability to identify oral health problems ( p = .005 and p = .01). Additionally, paid caregivers reported increase in perceived support available in providing oral hygiene care ( p < .001).

Conclusion

Stakeholder engaged approach helped increase the acceptability and usability of the App that successfully increase caregivers’ attitude, knowledge, and abilities in oral hygiene care provision.

Related collections

Most cited references 20

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Alzheimer's disease.

Philip Scheltens, Kaj Blennow, Monique Breteler … (2016)

Although the prevalence of dementia continues to increase worldwide, incidence in the western world might have decreased as a result of better vascular care and improved brain health. Alzheimer's disease, the most prevalent cause of dementia, is still defined by the combined presence of amyloid and tau, but researchers are gradually moving away from the simple assumption of linear causality as proposed in the original amyloid hypothesis. Age-related, protective, and disease-promoting factors probably interact with the core mechanisms of the disease. Amyloid β42, and tau proteins are established core cerebrospinal biomarkers; novel candidate biomarkers include amyloid β oligomers and synaptic markers. MRI and fluorodeoxyglucose PET are established imaging techniques for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid PET is gaining traction in the clinical arena, but validity and cost-effectiveness remain to be established. Tau PET might offer new insights and be of great help in differential diagnosis and selection of patients for trials. In the search for understanding the disease mechanism and keys to treatment, research is moving increasingly into the earliest phase of disease. Preclinical Alzheimer's disease is defined as biomarker evidence of Alzheimer's pathological changes in cognitively healthy individuals. Patients with subjective cognitive decline have been identified as a useful population in whom to look for preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Moderately positive results for interventions targeting several lifestyle factors in non-demented elderly patients and moderately positive interim results for lowering amyloid in pre-dementia Alzheimer's disease suggest that, ultimately, there will be a future in which specific anti-Alzheimer's therapy will be combined with lifestyle interventions targeting general brain health to jointly combat the disease. In this Seminar, we discuss the main developments in Alzheimer's research.

0 comments Cited 708 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: not found
Article: not found

Aspiration Pneumonia and Dysphagia in the Elderly

Paul E Marik, Danielle Kaplan (2003)

0 comments Cited 133 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Is Open Access

Oral health in the elderly patient and its impact on general well-being: a nonsystematic review

José-Antonio Gil-Montoya, Ana Lúcia Schaefer Ferreira de Mello, Rocío Barrios … (2015)

Data on the oral health of the elderly depict a worrying situation, with an elevated prevalence of caries and moderate periodontal disease, frequent edentulism, and numerous cases of dry mouth and oral cancer. There is wide evidence that periodontitis is a risk factor for certain systemic diseases, and impaired oral health has been associated with mastication and nutritional problems, especially among the elderly, with highly negative effects on their quality of life. In this nonsystematic review, the authors discuss the importance of evaluating the oral health of the geriatric population in a comprehensive manner, beyond simple clinical assessments.