3 - Identifying Caregiver Oral Health Education Needs Through a Statewide Needs Assessment Survey

Abstract:

Objective: A statewide survey of informal caregivers of older adults in Maine was conducted to identify oral health training needs among this population and inform the development of the MOTIVATE at Home program, which will provide free education to informal caregivers of older adults.

Methods: A 58-item needs assessment survey was constructed to measure oral health-related knowledge and attitudes, self-efficacy, care access, insurance coverage, training format and configuration preferences, and caregiver demographics. Participants were recruited through collaborations with the area agencies on aging, the Alzheimer’s Association, a community health worker network and two university research registries. Descriptive analyses were run on the resulting data.

Results: A total of 135 surveys were received. Approximately a third of respondents (30.6%) provided hands-on oral health care to their loved one. Over 40% of caregivers reported negative or neutral beliefs regarding their ability to help their care recipient prevent gum disease and close to a third (31.8%) reported similar beliefs about their role in tooth decay prevention. A quarter of care recipients (25.9%) have no regular dentist and 45% received no dental care within the last 12 months. Education topics of interest noted among caregivers included the connection between medication and oral health, quick fixes for oral health problems, and how to uncover oral health issues.

Conclusions: There are significant gaps in dental care access for homebound and dependent older adults along with opportunities to educate caregivers and equip them with the tools needed to support oral health care for this critical population.

Source of Funding: Funding provided through a grant from the CareQuest Foundation.