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East County News Service
May 8, 2020 (San Diego) - With seniors ’sheltering in place” and potentially doing so for many more months to come, the Gary & Mary West Senior Dental Center is making sure vulnerable San Diego seniors have the items they need to keep up their health and oral hygiene during this time. The organization is in the process of preparing 5,000 Home Care Oral Hygiene Kits for vulnerable seniors in San Diego County.
Each kit will contain much needed dental and health care items to help seniors maintain their oral and overall health during these challenging times. Examples include reusable tote bag, toothpaste, toothbrush, mouth rinse, dental floss, soap, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, paper towels, and oral health educational materials for seniors. The kits will be delivered via Serving Seniors home delivered meal service that reaches this vulnerable population on a daily basis throughput the county. The distribution has begun and will continue to as long as the kits are available.
They say "oral hygiene is the gateway to health,” and at this time especially we should be keeping our seniors' health top priority as they build a defense against a potential Covid-19 infection. In fact, the stats are alarming: Nearly 1 in 5 seniors over the age of 65 have no teeth, 2 in 3 have gum disease, and 1 in 5 have untreated cavities.
Help is needed::
(1) Direct donations to help us purchase the items for the kits.
- For as little as $5.00, you can provide a home oral hygiene kit to a senior in need. A gift of $50.00 will deliver 10 home care kits!
- Campaign running through May 31, 2020
- Your gift will be matched dollar for dollar! The Gary and Mary West Foundation will generously match donations up to a total of $10,000.
- Please go to www.seniordentalcenter.org to make a donation.
(2) Corporate partners to donate items for the kits. For instance, San Diego-based Waxie Sanitary Supply just donated 2,000 rolls of toilet paper! We are looking for item donations, such as toothbrushes, hair brushes, lotion, etc. Please contact us through our website to make these donations.
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