When your senior’s dental health is under control, it’s easier to deal with other aspects of her health, like whether she’s eating the right foods. Here’s what you need to pay attention to the most.
Talk to Her Doctor about Medications and Dental Health
Medications have a lot more to do with your senior’s dental health than either of you might expect. Inhaled medications can make tooth decay happen more quickly than it might have without the medication, for instance. But other types of medications can have side effects that can create dental problems, too. Talk to your senior’s doctor and pharmacist about how those side effects might become a problem for her.
Make a Dentist Appointment
If your senior hasn’t been going to see her dentist regularly, it is probably time to set up an appointment. Your senior’s dentist can take a look at how her dental health has changed and what she can do about those changes. Something else to consider is that if your elderly family member wears dentures or other dental appliances, it’s important that those fit her properly and that they’re in good working order. Regular dental appointments help with that.
Look for Changes in Eating Behaviors
How and what your senior is eating can tell you a lot about how her mouth is feeling. She might not feel comfortable telling you outright what’s going on with her dental health, but if you’re noticing new patterns, that can be a big indicator that something else is going on. If she’s suddenly choosing softer foods or liquid meals, that can be more than just preference. It’s important to ask her for more information.
Find Assistive Tools for Dental Care
Assistive tools and devices are available for so much of what your elderly family member does and needs to do. Electric toothbrushes are helpful if your senior has trouble keeping the brush against her teeth while also brushing. They can also tend to have slightly larger handles, which makes them easier to hold. Rubberized or silicone sleeves that slip over a regular toothbrush handle can also help to make the toothbrush easier to hold. It might also be a good idea to consider working with elder care providers. They can show you and your senior tools and tips that can help a lot.
Keeping up with your senior’s dental health is a key part of maintaining her overall health. She may be nervous or upset about going to the dentist or tackling some of these other aspects of dental health, but they’re all important. A senior care provider can help you to set up appointments and take your senior to the dentist.
If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Home Health Care in Edison, NJ, call the caring staff at Helping Hands Home Care today at 908-418-4299. Providing Home Care Services in all of Northern and Central NJ, including Clark, Westfield, Cranford, Scotch Plains, Rahway, Linden, Summit, Edison, Elizabeth, Mountainside and the surrounding areas.
After graduating from Seton Hall University with a BS in finance Helping Hands Homecare’s Owner / President, Robert D’Arienzo, went to work on Wall St. for six years. However, after Robert’s grandmother became ill with stomach cancer Robert and his family needed to find assistance in the home for her. After many trials and tribulations Robert could see that there was a great need for quality home care services here in NJ and loved the idea of being able to assist other families who were going through what his family went through with his beloved grandmother.
Thus, Robert had found his passion. After almost a year of preparation Robert opened Helping Hands Homecare in 2003. Robert wanted Helping Hands Homecare to focus on providing the highest quality of caregivers, exceptional customer service, and providing a service that familys could depend on in their time of need. Since then Helping Hands has assisted hundreds of individuals with the simplest of needs to more complex cases while preserving those standards set out many years ago.
Robert is a Google Verified Author
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