Evaluation

To evaluate if my plan has worked, I will need to do the following:

• Talk with the nurses and staff. Find out how they are doing with this new responsibility. Do they have positive feedback?
• Visit with the patients. How are they responding to treatment? Do they seem pleased that this service is being offered, or does it seem to distress them? Find out if they are physically responding well to it, or if changes need to be made to their individual needs.
• Visit with the family. How have they felt about participating (if they are)? Do they enjoy the personal care they can give to their loved one, or does it make them uncomfortable to perform these duties?
• Talk with the hygienists who have been performing some of the work. Do they enjoy this type of service, or would they prefer staying in a private practice setting?

These are some of the things that need to be evaluated concerning oral health care in a hospice program. With positve feedback, this can be a great success.

Implementing my plan

When dealing with hospice patients, many needs must be met, including pain managment, personal hygiene, and nutritional supplement. One thing that is often overlooked, though, is oral health care. Many patients in hospice care have months, maybe weeks to live, but are still entitled to recieve oral hygiene care. My proposal is simple:

• To increase the knowledge and level of care of program participants.
• To educate and encourage family members to participate in oral health care of loved ones.
• Encourage other hygienists to particpate (volunteer?) in hospice programs.
• Implement a strategy for increased oral health care awareness.

To make this happen, meetings with hospice program leaders would have to take place, and each patients current status would need to be assesed before any treatment could take place. I believe this is a very beneficial service to people who are in their last stages of life.

My plan

To implement my plan of providing dental care for people in hospice, I would first contact local hospice programs and ask what kind of dental care (if any) they provide. I would then tell them that I am interested in providing dental care for anyone in a hospice program. I would explain to them that this is a valuable service that the patient can benefit from, even though they may be in the final stages in life. Patients can experience dry mouth, excessive plaque buildup, and mouth sores, all due to the side effects of medication and the illness itself. Psychologically, having a clean mouth can make the person feel better overall, and make them feel that all areas of their body are being cared for. I would suggest that the patient have their teeth brushed at least once a day, depending on the stage of illness they are at. I would also suggest teaching the family--if they are comfortable in doing so--how to care for the teeth themselves, but relieving them every few days so as to check the status of the patient myself. I think this is a good start, but help me out with some more suggestions!!

My community assignment

For the assignment, I would like to research dental care for invalid/hospitalized/terminally ill/handicapped people. Do they need specialized care? If so, what is the best way to deliver that care? I do believe they need some sort of dental care, but what and how is the question. I am interested in this because of my personal experience with my mom in her final weeks in the hospital and rest home. If this is not a good idea, please tell me! I need all the help I can get.