I just completed work on a video and training materials used to train people how to provide oral healthcare to senior citizens in nursing homes.

In conjunction with a professor of dentistry at the university of Kentucky, we developed a product to be used by dental and nursing schools and nursing homes.

For those of you who play in nursing homes, I'd be really surprised if you EVER saw any oral health care procedures being done.

Statistics say that poor health care leads to things like pneumonia, a leading cause of death in nursing homes.

The final product is being used by nursing programs and other health care institutions across the country.

It's no surprise that nursing homes aren't interested....it would cost them MONEY to hire and train an oral health care worker. And MONEY is the bottom line.

There is some interest by the state of Kentucky (Commonwealth, actually). There is a funded offshoot of the original project which will be conducted, and, if we can prove that incidents of oral health care related illnesses can be reduced, that means a reduction in the cost of state-funded Medicaid.

Sadly, even here, the "BUCKS" are what matters. Even so, if the end result is better oral health procedures, THAT'S GOOD!

A word to many of us who are reaching or already at senior status. Take the time to do preventative oral care.

You'll be BETTER and healthier for the effort.


Russ (on my stump, AGAIN) Lay