الجمعة، 27 يناير 2017

The Connection Between Oral Care And Aspiration Pneumonia

By Sarah Murphy


Aspiration pneumonia is a condition among elders. When an elderly person gets this illness, it could weaken their body which impacts to their entire medical state and increases the risks for additional problems. Usually, pneumonia may increase healthcare costs, prone to hospitalization, decrease their quality of life, and even cause a high rate of death.

Recent studies have show that improving oral hygiene will reduce the chances of developing such illness among elders and reduces the possibility of death. By giving a proper oral hygiene on a day to day basis, you are giving elders a reduced chance of respiratory distress. With that alone, you can see the connection between oral care and aspiration pneumonia.

With regular dental care, elderly patients are found to enhance swallowing functions by boosting their salivary secretions while reducing the latency time for swallowing. Both of these outcomes can improve the safety of eating. In addition, proper oral hygiene is also helpful for elders with false or without teeth. Once misconception is that if individuals do not have teeth or have dentures, they no longer need proper hygiene routines.

But this is not always the case, dentures must be cleaned based on the advices of their dentist. Additionally, tongue and mouth require proper maintenance with a scraper tool. This is particularly important in elders. Elderly individuals who live in an established homes have poorer dental health than people who are living at home.

Keep in mind that brushing on a daily basis is not enough. Of course, you should brush your teeth properly. But brushing the teeth of patients is a different story. Caregivers must be trained in helping patients with their oral tasks. Usually, enhancing dental care may decrease the chances of getting pneumonia and even death while boosting their life and reduce healthcare costs.

Typically, there are some foods that would increase the possibilities of getting aspiration. This means that food or liquid may go into your lungs instead of the stomach. Juicy fruits like citrus, oranges, and watermelon should be avoided. When the patients have swallow problems, it may lead to pneumonia. Hoarse voice, chest infections, and frequent throat clearing are some of the symptoms of this problem.

It is essential to take a lot of precautions to get rid of aspirating based on what you eat or drink. Typically, these precautions can help individuals with a diminished swallowing reflex. Thus, if you ignore taking essential steps, this will only cause major problems to the lungs and could result in different complications.

For elderly persons who suffer from such condition, you should take precautionarty measures to avoid taking foods into their lungs which may lead to other complications. As much as possible, talk to the physician and get a written instruction about the best assistance level required, correct way for eating and how to recognize the aspiration signs.

If you adhere the precautions, there are still chances that anyone will experience such problem. Hence, it is always crucial to know and understand what it feels to suffer from such condition and make things more manageable. Some people may develop this condition, therefore, they need extra care while adhering the steps.




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