Developing Caregiver’s Roles on the Oral Care of Dependent Elderly in Bann-Makham-Laung, Sanpatong District, Chiang Mai

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop the secondary caregiver’s role on the oral care of dependent elderly individuals in long-term care system. The study design employed participatory action research, utilizing community participation strategies. Fourteen secondary caregivers living at Bahn-Makham Laung, Sanpatong District, Chiang Mai Province were recruited. The study contained four core stages: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting; starting with data collection and processing to clarify the oral care performance of the caregivers in the study area. The processed information was presented to the target group, and then all participants were asked to take part in the planning process. In the action stage, all caregivers joined a one-day training program where they were trained for oral health screening and oral hygiene care for dependent elderly. The caregivers were asked to screen and give oral care instructions to dependent individuals during their home visits. Three months after training, results were collected by using an interview, a knowledge and attitude level test using a questionnaire. At the end, the study results were discussed among the participants using a focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using descriptive and content analyses. The results showed a better construction of the caregiver’s role after an action process and 71.42 percent of caregivers earned a high score in the knowledge test (Mean=8.36, SD=1.41). 85.71, 100 and 78.85 percent of them had a high level of attitude on the importance of oral care, receiving of social support, and influence of oral health on dependent individuals’ well-being, respectively. The developed roles conformed with the community context; therefore, a participatory process is suitable for oral health care system development for the elderly under long-term care.