The Ontario government is increasing access and eligibility for the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program and the Seniors Co-Payment Program, to ensure more low-income seniors are receiving the health care they need. Beginning August 1, 2024, the annual income eligibility threshold will be increased from $22,200 to $25,000 for single Ontarians aged 65 and over … Read more
The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) hit a milestone of over one million Canadian seniors eligible and approved for coverage with the program. Currently seniors aged 70 and up can apply to the CDCP and should have received letters with instructions on how to apply. Beginning in May 2024, Canadian seniors aged 65 and up … Read more
Sharon Edmonds credits Toronto Public Health dentist Dr. Rishi Saxena not only for her good oral health — but for saving her life. Edmonds, 69, went to TPH’s Dental and Oral Health Services Clinic at the Rexdale Community Hub 18 months ago, after googling where she could obtain cost-free dental services. She learned she qualified … Read more
Seniors in Canada, who now comprise approximately 18.5 per cent of the population, are living longer and enjoying active lives thanks to enhanced health and wellness. However, according to a survey commissioned by the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA), 56 per cent of Canadians over age 60 have no dental insurance. That is putting vulnerable … Read more
More seniors in the Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland areas are now eligible to access free dental care, thanks to recently announced new income limits. The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit is promoting new income limits that increase eligibility for the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP). The publicly-funded program covers the cost of … Read more
Mobile dentistry for people with dementia, teledentistry, and vaccines by dentist are some of the opportunities that have arisen from disruptions to residents’ oral healthcare during the pandemic, experts say. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted weaknesses in oral healthcare in long-term care settings and created potential for positive long-term changes, according to a new report with … Read more
Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership candidate Randy Delorey says he will introduce a low-income seniors dental program and assistance for buying hearing aids if he becomes premier next month. The Antigonish MLA and former health minister released a list on Tuesday of plans to help seniors. Nova Scotia Liberal Party delegates will elect a new leader … Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed a light on the fragility and limitations of our global health systems, particularly for our vulnerable senior populations. When COVID-19 began, dental care for residents of long-term care facilities all but stopped, even though oral health is critical. However, the systemic issue and social challenges for managing geriatric dental patients … Read more
A dentist is worried the closure of her twice-weekly clinic at a Burnaby long-term care home will lead to a decline in overall health for the seniors who live there. Dr. Jain has operated the clinic at the George Derby Centre in Burnaby since 2014 but she said she was told to pack up and … Read more
A dentist appointment can be a less than pleasant note in the calendar, but Maria Grisonich can’t wait to take a seat in the chair and open wide. At 87, widowed and with a past working on a fruit farm, her slim retirement cheque has not allowed for regular dentists visits in later years, taking … Read more
As poverty levels expand into suburban and rural areas of Hamilton, public health staff acknowledge they need to “re-think” how a new dental health bus will service seniors in the city’s outlying areas. “Given all the capital requests that have not been approved,” said Jennifer Vickers-Manzin, director of healthy families, “we need to re-think where … Read more
They’ve chewed it over, and they’re not biting. Middlesex County wants the province to reverse a decision not to fund a seniors dental clinic in Strathroy, the county’s largest municipality, in favour of a mobile clinic that politicians say won’t provide the same level of care. The Strathroy clinic was among four capital funding requests … Read more
The Doug Ford government says it will spend $90 million annually to provide free routine dental care to low-income seniors in Ontario. Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister Christine Elliott and Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, launched the new Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program in Toronto at the Rexdale Community Health Centre on Wednesday. The provincial government estimates that … Read more
Hamilton will receive $2.24 million from the Ontario government to ramp up dental care for older, low-income residents. The funding will allow roughly 4,300 seniors to access dental services that they haven’t been able to previously. The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program announced by the Progressive Conservatives in April is 100 per cent provincially funded. … Read more
Elderly people in nursing homes often go without a good toothbrushing. While it might be icky to imagine the horrible way that feels to the oldsters, there are consequences worse than grossness. The mouth and other parts of the oral cavity are a gateway into the body, allowing bacteria inside our bodies that can cause … Read more
Thousands of seniors in Niagara might soon benefit from a new program providing them with dental care they otherwise couldn’t afford, despite concerns that too many seniors will be excluded. Niagara Region’s health and social services committee members voted to support a new Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program for the region, which will provide free … Read more
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit is inviting people aged 65 and older, living in the northwestern Ontario city and surrounding area, to participate in a new study examining their dental health care needs and any problems they face in accessing that care. “Dental health is very important at any stage of your life, and … Read more
Liberal leader Philippe Couillard has promised to extend free dental care to children 16 and younger and to low-revenue seniors, continuing the party’s campaign theme of easing the lives of families now that provincial coffers are flush. He made the pledge on Sunday in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, where early front-runner Coalition Avenir Québec is predicting … Read more
Leslie Arlene Henderson has lost multiple teeth. She can’t remember the last time she had major dental work. And for the last year, she’s been in dire need of a root canal. But with only $1,000 in monthly income, the 62-year-old Parkdale resident is too strapped for cash to pay for anything beyond a basic dental … Read more
A tailored preventive oral health intervention significantly improved the cleanliness of teeth and dentures among elderly home care clients. In addition, functional ability and cognitive function were strongly associated with better oral hygiene, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. The study is part of a larger intervention study, NutOrMed, and … Read more