Investment in oral health is borough wide
THE borough has invested funds into a programme aimed at improving the oral health of vulnerable and older people.
The scheme trains care home, care worker, community service and hospital staff to clean and check the mouths of vulnerable and older people to reduce the likelihood of them contracting pneumonia and even dementia.
Studies show a link between poor oral hygiene and particularly aspiration pneumonia which is caused when bacteria in the mouth is inhaled into the lungs. If left untreated, this can lead to further infection in the lining of the lungs and serious breathing difficulties.
Similarly poor oral health is linked to conditions where the brain function is impaired including Alzheimer’s.
Both conditions are a major contributor to serious ill health in older people and the cause of multiple emergency hospital admissions that could be avoided.
Leading national oral hygiene expert Emma Riley is leading the educational and training programme in the borough, which is a joint venture between Rochdale Borough Council and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group.
Training in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale’s nursing homes has been happening since December last year.
Oral hygiene champions based at the homes will ensure that any new staff are shown how to clean the mouths of residents when they start employment.
Further stages of the training programme will train nurses and support staff at Springhill Hospice and Rochdale Infirmary.
The programme is the first of its kind in Greater Manchester and links into the Greater Manchester Nutrition and Hydration Project, which aims to identify and address malnutrition and dehydration in the over 65s.
Emma said: “This programme is an exciting opportunity to make a real impact on preventing the kinds of illnesses that we know poor mouth hygiene can cause.
“We need more people to realise that mouths can become a breeding ground for all kinds of harmful bacteria which can cause illnesses particularly in older and vulnerable people.”