Video: How to care for a person's mouth (for care workers)

Transcript

[Music plays]

>> Narrator (female voice): How to care for a person’s mouth for care workers.

In this video you will be shown how to clean a person’s mouth using a step-by-step process.

Mouth care is important for a person who cannot eat or drink as it will help their mouth to feel clean and moist.

Taking care of a person’s teeth, dentures, and gums is essential to prevent oral infections.

Provide mouth care whenever you see the lips and mouth are dry.

Report any problems with the mouth such as infection, bleeding or obvious discomfort to your manager or supervisor.

Step 1.

Get the things you need

• A towel
• Gloves
• The step-by-step guide
• A rubbish bag
• A washcloth
• Mouth swabs
• A spray bottle with water or a saliva replacement product
• Lip cream
• A cup of water
• Hand sanitiser

For dentures, you will need a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Step 2.

Clean your hands.

Raise the bed to hip height if possible so you don’t have to bend over.

Then raise the back of the bed so that the person is in a semi-upright position.

Put on gloves.

Step 3.

Place the towel under the person’s chin to catch any drips.

If the person has dentures, you can take them out and clean them with a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Step 4.

Wet the mouth swab in the cup of water and squeeze out any excess water.

If you don’t have a mouth swab, you can use a washcloth over your finger. Wet this by dipping it into the cup of water.

Step 5.

Gently open the mouth with one hand.

Using your other hand, sweep the swab or washcloth over the lips and the front of the tongue to clean the front of the mouth.

Step 6.

Sweep the swab or the washcloth gently down the sides of the mouth between the cheek and the teeth and gums.

Make sure you don’t go too far back into the mouth as this may cause the person to gag.

If the person has dentures, they can be replaced now.

Step 7.

If you have some mouth spray, gently open the mouth and spray a small amount of liquid into the front of the mouth.

Step 8.

Apply lip cream or balm to moisten the lips.

Step 9.

Put the used mouth swabs in the rubbish bag or the used washcloth in the wash.

You can now remove the towel.

Step 10.

Remove gloves.

If you raised the bed, lower it back to a safe position.

After you have finished you can clean your hands.

[Text on screen: caring@home. caringathomeproject.com.au. caring@home is funded by the Australian Government and led by Brisbane South Palliative Care Collaborative]