Things To Know About Oral Care And Aspiration Pneumonia

By Sarah Murphy


One of the cyclical beasts nowadays is the aspiration pneumonia. When elders suffer from this condition, it weakens their body which is a great impact on their medical condition and increases the chances of getting additional aspiration. Basically, pneumonia increases the possibilities of being hospitalized, decrease the quality of life, increase healthcare costs, and even death.

Recent research shows that boosting oral hygiene will minimize the risks of developing this illness among elderly individuals and minimize the chances of death. With proper oral care, it means giving elders a minimal chance of having respiratory distress. This information alone can determine the link between oral care and aspiration pneumonia.

With daily oral care, elders are found to boost swallowing problems by increasing salivary secretions and minimizing latency time of swallow. Both of these results enhance the safety and ease of eating. Aside from that, dental care is also beneficial for elders with false or natural teeth. One of the mistakes of people among caregivers and elders is that if they have dentures or do not have teeth they do not require to follow dental hygiene schedules.

But this is not true since dentures also need proper maintenance and must be cleaned according to the recommendations of their specialists. Moreover, tongue and mouth both need to be cleaned with the right tool. This is specifically crucial for elderly patients.

Brushing your own teeth may seem easy enough, but you will find later on that you are brushing your teeth in wrong ways. But brushing someone else is another story. It is important that a caregiver is trained in assisting elders with their dental tasks. As you see, improving dental care may decrease the risk of pneumonia, the risk of hospitalization and death while improving their life quality and reducing healthcare expenses.

Aside from that, there are foods that could possibly increase the possibility of aspiration. This means any food or liquid may go directly to the lungs instead of the stomach. Oranges and other citrus fruits must be avoided. If a patient has a swallowing problem, it may lead to pneumonia. Chest infections, throat clearing, and hoarse voice are the signs of this condition.

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.

If you have elderly loved ones who suffer from this condition, make sure to take the precautions to avoid taking foods into their lungs. Talk to their specialists and get written instructions about the assistance required for them, recognition of aspiration symptoms, and correct position for eating.

Though you follow the steps, you still end up eating foods that would enter the respiratory system. Thus, it is necessary to know how it feels to be aspirated to manage the symptoms properly. Some individuals are more prone to developing such condition. Hence, they need extra care and adhere the steps to prevent choking.




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