Maximizing Quality of Life
101 - Maximizing Quality of Life: Oral Health and Nutrition
Monday, July 16
1:15 PM - 2:30 PM
Location: Diplomat Room-Lobby Level
Speaker(s)
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Nicole Becerra, MPH
Nutrition Program Coordinator
Anne Arundel Co. Dept. of Aging & Disabilities
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Daniel Harris, MPH
Data Analyst
Healthcentric Advisors; Brown University School of Public Health
Moderator(s)
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Nicole Becerra, MPH-Empowering Older Adults with Nutrition Education and Buying Power Through the Use of Shop and Eat Pilot Program
Erica Solway, PhD, MPH, MSW-Early Findings from the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging
Holly Greuling-Filling the Gap in Oral Health for Older Adults: A Community Guide to Program Implementation
Daniel Harris, MPH-Characterizing Oral Health Care in Nursing Homes
Maximizing Quality of Life: Oral Health and Nutrition
Many efforts are underway on the national, State, and local levels to uncover gaps and highlight public health issues related to oral health and nutrition. In this session, you will find ways to improve and maximize the quality of life for older adults.
National guidance tools will be presented for communities implementing oral health programs. The Administration for Community Living and the Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services collaborated to offer a step-by-step guide on how to develop and operate cost-effective, sustainable oral health programs, including a searchable database of vetted, low-cost, community-based oral health services for older adults. This session will highlight these tools and their application by community public health professionals.
The National Poll on Healthy Aging (NPHA) at the University of Michigan features older adults’ knowledge and attitudes on timely topics related to healthy aging and ways to best disseminate findings to educate diverse audiences on prevention and strategies for policy development. This session will present early findings from their polls on older adults’ insights, experiences and perceptions, focusing on their nationally representative report on oral health.
Characterizing oral health as a State-wide effort in nursing homes is the subject of a current study in Rhode Island. With the goals of identifying opportunities for quality improvement and supporting healthy aging in nursing homes, the study aims to measure access to oral care supplies, identify where professional dental care is provided, and investigate nursing home administrators’ commitment to oral health care. Results will be used to improve oral health and support future prevention efforts. This session will present a summary of the complete results, gaps identified, and quality improvement initiatives suggested as a result of the findings.
A local nutrition education and training pilot program in Anne Arundel County, Maryland is making advances in nutrition knowledge and behavior change for county residents 60 years and older. By empowering older adults, the Shop’N Eat (Subsidizing Healthy-food Options Plus Nutrition Education and Training) pilot program shows progress in increasing knowledge of nutritional impact on chronic disease conditions, increasing participants’ consumption of fruits and vegetables and increasing older adults’ confidence in purchasing healthier foods. This session will highlight the success and use of nutrition education, along with the buying power use of subsidized grocery cash cards, to increase older adults’ consumption of healthier foods and behavioral changes.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss how oral health is connected to a person's overall health and provide context on the issues of oral health and older adults.
- Recognize potential barriers to oral care and dental care in long-term facilities.
- Describe ways in which comprehensive nutrition education can support consumption of healthier foods.