written+project

WRITTEN PROJECT This site is for the development of the written presentation of the project. Please label/identify your work on this page by placing your name after the section you participated in the writing and development.


 * JANET **** GOESKE SENIOR CENTER **

ADPIE

Dental Questions:
 * ASSESSMENTS **

1. When was the last time you saw a dentist?

2. When was the last time you had your teeth cleaned?

3. How many times a day do you brush your teeth?

4. Circle all that apply:

a. I brush my teeth. b. I floss my teeth. c. I use a mouth rinse. d. I experience dry mouth. e. I wear a partial denture. f. I wear a full denture. g. I have arthritis. h. I have had a stroke. i. I have diabetes. j. I have limited hand movement. k. I have a burning tongue. l. I have high blood pressure.

Additional Questions:

5. Do you take 2 or more prescription medications daily?

6. What is your favorite activity at the center?

7. If dental hygiene students were to come to your center, what would you like from us?

8. What is your age? Circle one

Under 65 65 to 74 75 to 84 Over 85

The following results are based on the answers to question #7 (" If dental hygiene students were to come to your center, what would you like from us? "). Data needs to be analyzed more to get a concrete need for the community project.
 * DIAGNOSIS **

What are the needs of the population? - Jackie 1. Nothing: 34 2. Cleaning: 15 3. Social: 3 4. Counseling/Information: 2

After a more in-depth review of the answers, the planning committee came to the conclusion that the members at the community center wanted information related to dental health and overall health.

We have decided to implement a health fair setting based on the expressed and unexpressed needs of the participants including various tables and visual boards where information will be presented about the topics. Topics have been chosen and students were assigned randomly to each of the topics. The topic are as follows:
 * PLANNING **
 * Health Fair **

__Xerostomia__: Discuss caries, mouthwash, medication, and give samples of Biotene and/or Oasis mouth wash. 1. Marcia 2. Melody 3. Jennifer

__Blood Pressure__: Discuss the effects of high blood pressure and provide blood pressure screenings 1. Brein 2. Dorinda 3. Shari 4. Lia 5. Drina

__Arthritis/Stroke__: Discuss toothbrush modifications, electric toothbrushes, and flossing along with giving floss holders 1. Britney 2. Maria 3. Diem

__Denture Care__: Discuss fungal infections, oral hygiene and cleaning dentures, regular dental visits, and adjustments as well as hand out PoliGrip Denture Adhesive 1. Ceri 2. Priscilla 3. Tawnya

__Diabetes__: Discuss its effects on oral health, the importance of monitoring blood glucose levels, and give copy of the modified food pyramid for diabetics 1. Kelli 2. Reina 3. Ferris 4. Natalie 5. Stacy

__Greeters__: Welcome people entering and pass clinic flyers and give toothbrushes and floss once they leave. Assist other groups if needed and give the participants an exit survey and answer any additional questions. 1. Jackie 2. Noo

We implemented our program 1- 2:30 PM on Thursday, May 21,2009. We had the privilege to educate over 35 members.

By the planning committee: Tawnya, Melody, Jennifer, Noo, and Shari

After reviewing the answers from the questionnaire, the implementation committee decided to implement the program by having five different table. Each table presented different topics such as high blood pressure, diabetes, denture cleaning, xerostomia, and arthritis/stroke. One table had a board explaining the effects of xerostomia, and there were some free samples of Biotene and Oasis for the patients. The blood pressure table had two people taking blood pressure readings and explained the effects of high blood pressure. Another table had a computer that displayed pictures of the effects of ill fitting dentures and how to properly clean them.
 * IMPLEMENTATION **

The diabetes table had pamphlets about how someone with diabetes has a higher risk for gum problems, no matter how old the person is. Poor blood glucose control makes gum problems more likely. To fight gum disease, the diabetic patient should learn how gum problems start, brush his or her teeth twice a day and floss everyday, look for early signs of gum disease, and visit a dentist at least twice a year. Our group also had handouts since the free pamphlets we ordered did not ship in time, but we did eventually receive them a week later. One handout (http://www.diabetes.org/food-nutrition-lifestyle/nutrition/meal-planning/diabetes-food-pyramid.jsp) explained how the Diabetes Food Pyramid is a little different than the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Food Guide Pyramid. This is because groups in the Diabetes Food Pyramid are based on their carbohydrate and protein content instead of their classification as a food, e.g. cheese is in the meat group rather than the milk group. The handout listed examples of food that would be listed under each type of category, whether that be grains and starches; vegetables; fruit; milk and dairy; meat and meat substitutes; and fats, sweets, and alcohol as well as the amount of servings a diabetic person should have a day. Another handout was done by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research about dental tips for people with diabetes: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/Diabetes/DiabetesDentalTips.htm - Reina

The planning of the health fair at the Janet Goeske Senior Center started on March 5, 2009. The class of 2009 developed an open-ended questionnaire to determine the oral needs of the members of the Janet Goeske Senior Center. The questionnaire was developed to assess the needs for the elderly members and was well-written. I think we could have improved the question, "If dental hygiene students were to come into your center, what would you like from us?" The question was a little too broad. If we had the opportunity to do this again, I would make a suggestion to add a few multiple choice options with an additional other option for the patrons to write in their own ideas. For example, "If dental hygiene students were to come into your center, would you be interested in receiving free blood pressure readings or instructions on how to care for your removable denture?"
 * EVALUATION - ** Lia, Jackie, Marcia, Ferris, Shari
 * Formative: During the Program **

I think if we were a little more specific, we could have guided the members on how we could have been able to help them in the future. Dental cleanings was one of the suggestions from the seniors but not something we could implement.

On March 31, April 2, and April 3, classmates went to the center to ask the members to fill out our questionnaire so we could evaluate the needs for the Janet Goeske Senior Center members. We made 200 copies of the questionnaire for the members to fill out. From April 6 to April 11, we gathered the assessments to determine the needs for the elderly members of the Janet Goeske Senior Center. Only 1/4 of the questionnaires were filled out. We could possibly improve our results next time if we went two different times a day on those three dates. For example, we could be there for people who go more to the center often during breakfast and then again for those people who go more often to the center during dinner. Chances are that some people on the go have breakfast and some members only show up for dinner. Because of our school hours, that was a conflict. To improve, we could have picked different days to attend where we were more available. The topics we decided to implement were relevant for the members of the Janet Goeske Senior Center. The members were very interested in our topics and appreciated the education we provided them. Our tables were dirty when we arrived. Next time, table cloths and balloons might provide a more welcoming atmosphere to draw more of the members to our tables. I also noticed that the member at the center liked the board with different pictures, so would I recommend for the future to have more boards and many more samples because the few that we had were gone quickly. The members really appreciated the free samples and made the topic more interesting for them. I really believe that we needed more time to prepare the presentation tables and we needed to order more supplies a lot earlier to have enough for every member at the senior center.

Next time we present information about xerostomia we need to change the title of the topic because no one in the senior center knew what that word meant, so we had to tell them it meant dry mouth. This may have also sparked some curiosity and may have motivated people to come to the table to ask what the word meant. We could also have included the word "xerostomia" and next to it the words "dry mouth."

The purpose of the health fair was to evaluate the oral health needs of the geriatric patrons at the Janet Goeske Senior Center. Questionnaires were taken to the center. Fifty-eight geriatric patrons volunteered to participate in the survey. The results of the survey in summary revealed that more than half of geriatric patrons at the center have seen the dentist and had their teeth cleaned in the last year. However 22% of the geriatric members only brushed their teeth one time a day or less, while seven of the geriatrics did not respond to this question. These same geriatric patrons reported that they currently use other dental care products: 30 reported using floss and 20 use mouth rinses out of the 52 patients taking the survey. Physical limitation factors that may have an effect on their oral health included having arthritis and strokes causing limited hand movement. Twenty-nine of the geriatrics reported having these physical limitations. Health conditions reported: 25 geriatric patrons responded to having high blood pressure, 9 having diabetes, 37 were taking 2 or more prescriptions, and 9 of the geriatrics did not respond to this question. Favorite activity with 27 responses reported was exercise. Oral conditions: 14 responses for wearing dentures, 14 responses for wearing partial dentures, and 8 responses to having dry mouth. From the results taken from this survey, we planned to have 5 informational topic station tables to deliver information according to the needs evaluated. The informational station topics included blood pressure, arthritis/stroke, denture care, xerostomia, and diabetes. An exit survey was taken to evaluate the effectiveness of the information given at the informational stations provided. Seventeen geriatric patrons participated in the exit survey with 11 responses to having had benefit from information given on high blood pressure, 6 responded to have benefited from arthritis/stroke, and 6 from diabetes information. Sixteen of those responded to the survey said they would like to hear from us again in the future.
 * Summative: After the Program **

The questionnaire that was given during the data gathering step revealed that only a few questions were answered by the members of the senior center due to many of the questions having an open-ended format. The Riverside Community College Dental Hygiene Program's Class of 2009 realized this problem, and at the end of the implementation of the project, we handed out surveys with only 3 questions. The format of the questions were only questions with different possible answers and the participants only had to circle their favorite answer. If we had started the first questionnaire using this last format, we would have had better feedback from the participants about what their main need was. This easier format was simpler and quicker to answer because the participants had other activities to attend to, and their time was limited, especially when it came down to answering a survey with too many words that may have required a long answer. The blood pressure table was very successful due to many of the participants having high blood pressure. Many of the members went to this table because that is where most of them filled out their survey to receive a goody bag that included a toothbrush and a flyer about our clinic.