50+ Lifestyles

“It Takes a Village…”

By Carole Ferch, RDH
I-Smile Silver Coordinator
Scott County Health Department

I am excited to announce that I-Smile™ Silver is now providing dental hygiene services within long term care facilities in Scott County, Iowa! In July 2017, I-Smile Silver began helping the residents and staff at ManorCare Health Services on Locust Street in Davenport. In writing this article, I felt the need to borrow the expression “It takes a village to raise a child.” I have learned that it truly takes a community of skilled people to care for our elderly.  I have personally witnessed the highly skilled professionals at ManorCare Health Services care for their residents, working as a team to achieve the best overall health for their patients. As a dental hygienist, I am excited to become a part of this community of caregivers.    

When providing dental care to long term care residents, it is very important that we know and understand their overall health conditions. The I-Smile™ Silver program consults with the Director of Nursing, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Social Worker, Dietician, Nursing Assistants and the facility Physician when providing dental care in the nursing facility. It is also common to include a family member in dental treatment needs and follow up care.   Educating the medical team, family, and the resident on his or her daily oral care needs is one of the most important services that I provide. It is not uncommon to find that a resident’s medical condition is causing or contributing to his or her poor oral health and vice versa. We have also found that many seniors do not complain about their dental conditions until they are asked about it. Yet another reason why it is so wonderful to be able to serve seniors in nursing facilities!

Here are some quotes from two of the health care professionals at Manor Care Health Services:

“Preventive Dental Care is an essential piece in producing better health outcomes for our residents. Improved dental care not only signifies better oral care for our residents it has been known to benefit in improving on diabetes, reducing risks for future cardiovascular events, and decreasing risks for pulmonary disease. By partnering with I-Smile Silver, our residents have been provided with opportunity to improve their overall health with additional information available upon discharge, and education opportunities for our residents, their families, and improve our staff knowledge for oral care.”

– Linda Mason, RN, ADNS

“Small changes to daily oral care can have a great impact on reducing my patient’s risk of pneumonia.  Thank you to I-Smile™ Silver for helping to improve my patient’s health!”

– Bridgette Vale, M.S., CCC-SLP

Carole Ferch, RDH is I-Smile Silver Coordinator at the Scott County Health Department, 600 W. 4th St., Davenport, Iowa 52801-1030. She can be reached at (563) 326-8618, ext. 8258.