Care Conferences in Long Term Care
I have been given the opportunity within the last year to work in a long-term care facility. Not only does this give me experience working with elders, but also to develop my leadership and professional skills through attendance at care conferences. These conferences involve the collaboration and professional opinion of people from a variety of professions. A nurse, recreation coordinator, spiritual provider, dietitian, doctor, family member and the attending dental hygiene student (myself) gather together to discuss a particular elder at the long-term care facility, sharing information from each of our areas of expertise. These conferences allow for the opportunity to share concerns, questions, and the current quality of life of the senior. Updates on the elder’s well-being, medications, and other health concerns can be brought up and changed.
Attending these care conferences, one must take professional responsibility to be prepared to speak and share their assessments and form a professional opinion. As a dental hygiene student, I look at these conferences as an opportunity to be heard, and in another way, to promote dental hygiene as a profession through demonstrating knowledge and capabilities. It is rewarding to take part in this form of interprofessional collaboration, learning about different areas of health, and also seeing how working together with others can give more holistic care for a senior.