A quality improvement initiative to improve the oral health of residents

A recent group of managers who participated in the MHL Leadership Support programme, engaged care home residents, their families, and staff in a quality improvement initiative to improve the oral health of the residents in their care homes.  This involved using pictures/images to elicit views on oral health care from residents with cognitive impairment. Using carefully chosen pictures and both verbal and non-verbal communication helped these residents to give their opinion on how their oral health could be improved.

Participants completed pre and post audits on current understanding of oral health and consulted with residents, relative and staff throughout the initiative. Additionally, they had input from Dr Gerry McKenna a Gerontologist at Queens university to explore mechanisms to increase awareness of oral health in care homes