54 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • APRIL 6, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM health Why should older adults care about oral health? Many people think that oral health is an issue that only concerns children and younger adults, but it can also have a large impact on healthy aging. The incidence of tooth loss only increases with age, and about 1 in 4 adults over the age of 65 years have no remaining natural teeth. While a greater number of olders are keeping their natural teeth compared to in the past, we are starting to see a trend of olders developing tooth decay (cavities) at a higher rate than children. In addition, approximately 70 percent of older Americans suffer from periodontal (gum) disease. Other common issues experienced by olders can include root decay, dry mouth, and use and adequate care of dentures. While often over looked, oral health should be considered part of staying healthy. It is important to recognize that it can impact general nutrition, self-image, social interaction, mental health, as well as physical health (functional abilities including chewing, swallowing, and digestion). Therefore, it is highly important that olders practice a routine of daily oral hygiene. The American Dental Association advises olders to brush/floss daily, clean dentures daily, drink water with fluoride, and quit smoking. Olders are also highly encouraged to make regular preventive visits to a dentist or dental hygienist. Despite the recommendations, one-third of older Americans have not visited a dentist within the past year. According to a 2014 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this rate is even worse for olders who are poorer or members of racial and ethnic minorities. This situation is only worsened by the fact that many olders do not have dental insurance, or have lost coverage upon retirement. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover dental/oral health, but there has been increased pressure to include preventive oral care as a benefit. New York, however, offers coverage of dental care through Medicaid. For those individuals without dental coverage, the state also offers dental plans for adults on its marketplaces formed under the Affordable Care Act. Some dentists also offer their services at community dental clinics or at local senior centers; visit Oral Health America’s Tooth Wisdom Project for a listing of donated dental services in each state. For more information visit the ADA’s Mouth Healthy (www.mouthhealthy. org) section on aging, or the US Administration for Community Living (www.acl.gov)’s section on Oral health. THE EFFECTS OF ANXIETY AND AGING A person who appears demented may be tormented by grief and anxiety. His demented behavior may have been brought about by emotional pain. A grieving person at any age is less able to pay close attention to everything that happens around him. He takes less care in grooming and dress. He has less emotional energy to welcome new opportunities or to respond to challenges. He feels uncomfortable with his body. His mind may be constantly uneasy or tortured. Loss and grief are common in old age as death removes loved ones. An old person may have suffered other significant losses, of occupation, residence, physical mobility, belonging, or usefulness – all of which produce a grief response. So much mental and emotional energy may be absorbed by the multiple losses experienced by the old person that he drifts away from contact with the practical, daily environment. Add to this situation our own tendency to avoid the old and troubled, and we have a person left to dwell in sorrow. Anxiety is another obstruction to clear mental functioning. When we are tense, frightened, or insecure, we are not likely to have firm control of our thoughts. We Dr. Sheldon Ornstein is a registered professional nurse with a doctoral degree in nursing organization. He has specialized in the care of older adults and has published many articles on the subject. He has done post-graduate work in gerontology and has taught at several universities. In 2013, he was inducted into the Nursing Hall of Fame at Teachers College, Columbia University. pay too much attention here, not enough there. We become either too concrete or too abstract, depending upon our personality style. Our behavior may become as fragmented as our thinking: restless pacing, doing and re-doing, fluttering, tapping, exercising our own brand of nervous habits. Or we may be paralyzed by anxiety, unable to move our thoughts at all, rigid and automatic in our actions. Anxiety often makes intelligent people seem foolish. Old people have good cause to be anxious. There are practical reasons such as health and physical safety. There are psychological reasons as well. People bring anxieties and sorrows with them into old age, in addition to the new difficulties they encounter. Anxiety can, however, be relieved. Sorrow can be shared and as a result, much of the confusion can eventually disappear, vanish. Constructive human relationships and a suitable environment can go a long way toward the prevention or reversal of mental changes that are too often mistaken for dementia. Quotable Quote: “You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever.” Anon. Sheldon Ornstein Ed.D, RN, LNHA NEW LOCATION! Multi Specialty Physical Rehabilitation Center 95 East Merrick Road, Valley Stream, NY 11580 • Pain Management • Internal Medicine • Acupuncture • Chiropractic • Physical Therapy SPINAL & SPORTS INJURIES, ARTHRITIS, POST SURGICAL & MORE! We accept most types of Insurance & Workers Compensation Please call to make an appointment: 516-218-2225 ASK THE COMMISSIONER Donna Corrado Department for the Aging
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