Teams at two Nottinghamshire residential homes are celebrating their success after achieving their Lifelong Smiles (LLS) accreditation. Fernleaf Care Home and Catherine Tam House have recently been awarded with a certificate after meeting a set of standards on providing good oral health care.
Community Dental Services CIC (CDS)’s LLS accreditation works with residential home settings to help improve oral health care for residents. Staff receive a range of materials and oral health training to increase their knowledge and confidence in providing oral care advice; whilst residents are encouraged to take part in oral health activities. Residential homes staff also review the food and drinks they provide to ensure that healthier, tooth-friendly options are always available.
Anne-Marie Saxton, Oral Health Improvement (OHI) Manager for CDS in Nottinghamshire said: “The Lifelong Smiles accreditation is underpinned by the NICE NG48 and the CQC Smiling Matters recommendations, and is an excellent way care homes can evidence how they support residents to maintain good oral health and demonstrate that their service is both effective and responsive when it comes to oral health.”
Craig Attwood, Manager at Fernleaf Care Home is proud they have achieved the accreditation: “The OHI team’s training and after support has been excellent and has had such a positive impact. We have added further information to the oral health sections in our care plans and on our staff notice boards and have introduced 3-sided toothbrushes to help some of our residents who may struggle with toothbrushing due to their dementia or may not like the feel of a standard toothbrush. Fearnleaf Care Home embrace any training, help and support that is offered and I’d recommended the LLS accreditation to care homes.”
The accreditation consists of six standards for the care home setting to work towards to achieve optimal oral health outcomes for residents. These standards focus on creating an oral health policy; using the recommended initial assessment tool; creating individual oral care plans and identifying an Oral Health Champion for the home.
Poor oral health has now been linked to: Aspirational pneumonia, Stroke, Heart disease, Mouth cancer, Dementia, Diabetes and Tooth loss. Poor oral health can lead to pain and discomfort, which can then affect nutrition as there may be reduced ability to chew and swallow, which limits food choices. It can also affect speech and lead to poor quality of life reducing self-confidence and increased isolation.
For further information on how CDS supports residentials homes and the training it offers, visit: www.communitydentalservices.co.uk/oral-health-improvement/
