By Angelika Hecht
Angelika Hecht explains hospice and palliative mouth care as a deeply intimate and important field of care. The mouth and nose contain far more sensory cells than the skin of the back, so mouth care must be handled with great respect, sensitivity and awareness.
The caregiver enters one of the most intimate zones of another person. If mouth care is carried out respectfully, it can become a personal act of love, especially for relatives, and may matter more than preparing food. In the last phase of life, mouth care can become one of the most important forms of support.
The article discusses dry mouth, which is often not caused by too little fluid intake but by medication, mucosal disease, tumours, radiotherapy, mouth breathing or anxiety. Frequent and careful mouth care — sometimes as often as once or twice an hour — can relieve thirst and discomfort.
Hecht lists many practical options: moistening the mouth with drinks the patient enjoys, small frozen pieces of fruit, ice cubes made from favourite drinks, cream, olive oil, almond oil, mild broth, sour teas, sprays, lozenges, chewing gum, gels and salivary gland massage. The decisive question is always what the patient finds pleasant in taste and texture.
The article also covers crusts, coatings, painful mouth mucosa, mouth rinses, honey preparations and lip care. It concludes that everyone can express personal affection, care and love through simple actions, as long as they are performed with seriousness, respect and dignity.
