Oral hygiene

Objectives: Family caregivers play an important role in maintaining the oral health of homebound older adults. Thus, this preliminary study investigated family caregivers' burdens and the oral care they provide to homebound older patients. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted. A questionnaire was distributed to 230 family caregivers of homebound older patients. We used the Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (J‐ZBI) to measure caregiver burden. The cut‐off score for the J‐ZBI was 21 points.

Objectives: To undertake a realist review of carer‐led oral hygiene interventions for people with intellectual disabilities. This was run parallel with a Cochrane Review. Methods: Realist review methods were followed. This was characterized by an iterative process of developing and refining theories of how interventions might work, expressed as context‐mechanism‐outcome configurations. The steps included identifying candidate theories with local and international expert consultation before applying an iterative search strategy.

Over the last 30 years, the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically. Significant medical advances have allowed affected persons to be seen more in the hospital setting, making it imperative that nurses understand their health care needs in order to provide positive health outcomes.