Oral Care at End-of-Life Workshop
In response to an urgent need identified to train health care staff on how best to deliver the best Oral Health Care in care homes and end of life settings, Heart of Kent Hospice has launched a new 3-hour training course designed to assist health care workers on how best to deliver the best Oral Health Care to patients and residents.
Oral hygiene and mouthcare is a basic need for everyone and those unable to do this for themselves, rely on their care providers to assist them. Sadly, it is an area of care where there is a lack of education and emphasis on its importance and how it impacts negatively on health and well-being.
40% of people at the end of life are unable to communicate their needs, including communicating the pain that their oral issues are causing them therefore potentially experiencing unrecognised pain in their last days and hours of life. This does not constitute to the ‘good death’ that every individual has the right to.
NICE (2018) identified that those over 75s living in care homes were 40% more likely to suffer from oral problems to compared to those living at home.
This theory-based workshop is for Registered Nurses, Nursing Associates and Health Care Assistants who wish to increase their knowledge and skills in oral assessment and oral care at end-of-life.
The workshop enables participants to further understand the importance of effective evidence-based oral care to maintain comfort and dignity to promote quality of life. It also covers providing effective oral care when issues arise.
To discuss the course or register your interest in future dates, please contact our Education and Training Team at education@hokh.co.uk or call 01622 792200.
Dates
- Wednesday 25 February
- Monday 9 March
- Tuesday 31 March
This course is free of charge until the end of March 2026.
Oral issues can mean patients are unable to verbally communicate with their loved ones at a moment when time is a luxury they do not have. It can lead to individuals being unable to eat and drink, causing discomfort and distress to both the individual and their loved ones. Oral issues can be very painful, with 1 in 5 people at the end of life developing oral candidiasis and 1 in 3 developing oral ulcers, this is a real issue. The benefits of going back to basics to teach mouthcare, will undoubtedly improve quality of life particularly for those who need assistance and for those who are in their last weeks and days of their life.