Looking after your teeth has never been more important. That’s why Walfinch home care’s Oxfordshire team are supporting local people’s oral health as part of the Wellness With Walfinch campaign, part of its Time to Thrive initiative.
“We are promoting access to information about oral health, especially for older people, who may be at risk of neglecting oral care,” says Kam Gill, Managing Director of Walfinch home care’s Oxfordshire office. “Walfinch’s Time To Thrive initiative is about delivering active and proactive care to improve physical and mental health, not just for our clients, but for our whole community.”
Kam recently arranged for an oral health specialist to make a presentation to people who attend the community physical exercise classes that Walfinch Oxford offers free in the village of Ducklington.
The oral health presentation was given by Sophie Burton, the Oral Health Improvement Manager at Community Dental Services CIC, funded by the Oxfordshire County Council, which promotes oral health programmes and education services to communities.
Kam explains: “Oral health is not just about avoiding toothache – though that can make it harder to speak, eat and take medication, all of which can impact quality of life. It’s also linked to conditions such as malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection.
“Being unable to chew food properly because of tooth problems can also affect your digestive system, which affects nutrition and general health.”
Kam has in-depth understanding of the importance of oral health care because she was a dental technician before she entered the home care sector.
She adds: “It may be tempting for people to de-prioritise oral health as they get older, but looking after our oral health is especially important now. Patients who are registered with an NHS dentist can find themselves de-listed if they fail to visit every six months, which means they have to pay more for private dentistry. From both a health and finance point of view, it makes sense to look after your teeth.”
The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England recommends that preventative advice on maintaining good oral health should be easily available for older people, their families and their carers, and that all care services have an oral care policy and cover oral health as part of initial health assessments.
Kam is in the process of arranging training in preventative oral health for her care team, in line with the Royal College’s recommendation that social care providers should give their staff appropriate training about oral health and care.
“It will enhance the skills of our care team and also provide them with a continuous professional development (CPD) accreditation, while helping them enhance the wellness of our clients,” says Kam.
Her proactive approach is one of the reasons Kam has been recognised with several care sector and business awards. She recently won an award for her dementia services, was highly commended in a front line leader award and was a finalist in an award for talent development.
