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A video about mouth care for someone dying at home.

We’ve uploaded a set of videos on mouth care this week. They’re designed for everyday people caring for someone who is dying at home. At first glance the subject seems straight forward – and then suddenly it’s overwhelming. Am I doing the right thing? Could I hurt her? If do something the wrong way, will I cause him a permanent problem that can’t be fixed?

The questions make us afraid to do anything. Add to that the fear of being with someone who’s dying and we think ‘Maybe I should withdraw from the situation altogether?’ But you don’t need to.

Instead, watch our videos. For about two minutes you can sit in a comfortable space, as I ask community palliative care worker Kellie Cooper-Smith, who’s passionate about improving care at the end of life, all the questions a layperson would like to know the answers to.

Our videos are designed to give you confidence, show you what to do step by step and then bring you closer to the end with memories of feeling closely connected to the person you love as they die. They link compassion, kindness and commonsense to practical help.

The first set is on mouthcare and other topics will follow in 2022.

Why start with the mouth? Well, the mouth is where we create intimate connection by kissing those we love – parents, children, lovers. It’s how we eat, and so share food with each other, one of life’s greatest joys and it’s the tool we use to communicate. So all that it symbolises makes the mouth the right place to start.

All our interviws are conducted as a short – usually no more than two minutes long – interview with community palliative care worker Kellie Cooper-Smith, who does this work everyday with compassion, kindness and commonsense.

So, watch our videos , then go to Kellie’s website Your Journey, Your Way, to download the accompanying fact sheets.

Our videos

Here are our video topics. We hope you like working with them. Click here to watch the first one.

Video 1 – Why it is so important: mouth care is important because it provides comfort, gives confidence and improves quality of life.

Video 2 – Dry mouth and other conditions: explains what causes dry mouth, other similar conditions and ways for the bedside carer to help manage them.

Part two: Products to help with dry mouth – general information about items you can use to overcome dry mouth.

Video 3 – Caring with ‘nil by mouth’: Kellie answers the question, when doctors say ‘nil by mouth’ can we still deliver mouth care?

Video 4 – Equipment and tips to help: Kellie gives examples of simple tools you can use in the dying person’s mouth and shows you how to use them.

Part two: Products to help with general mouth care.

Video 5 – Dentures – did you know that people can leave their dentures in even until the moment they die? We share details on this.

An image from Kellie's Mouth Care fact sheet.
Find the fact sheet that accompanies these videos at Kellie’s website Your Journey Your Way, by clicking here:

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