Piper Trust grant keeps older adults smiling
Posted: February 24, 2010
Thanks to a $75,000 grant from the Arizona-based Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, ATSU’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health is providing much-needed dental care to older adults. Through its Smile Forward for Mature Audiences Program, the school, which contributed an additional $25,000 to this program, hopes to meet the dental care needs of 100 uninsured older adults in Maricopa County, Ariz.
“I am glad I can keep my own teeth,” 80-year-old Francis DeBey says, smiling, while receiving care at ASDOH.
For patients such as DeBey who have multiple health issues, an opportunity to see a dentist is often an uphill battle. “I paid $1,600 to have a dentist work on two crowns, and it took me months to pay that off,” she says.
For the last three years, she has not seen a dentist and epitomizes the urgent healthcare needs of a growing geriatric population in Arizona, almost half of whom have little or no access to dental care.
DeBey relies on social security payments and has little disposable income. “The care I receive here makes my life a lot better. I can be sure that there will be no infections from my teeth that can lead to a heart attack or a stroke.”
She is thankful to ASDOH and the Piper Trust for enabling her to get this care but admits she is “guilty of taking the money.” DeBey and other patients who qualify for the Smile Forward for Mature Audiences Program receive care for a maximum of $1,000, and 13 older adults already have benefited.
“I never had a lot of money given to me during my lifetime,” says the former bookkeeper, who plans to spend her free time crafting handmade embroidered quilts for returning servicemen.
The program also benefits third-year dental students such as Andi Livingood, who gain evidence-based dental education, a core component of the dental school’s unique teaching methodology.
“I gain better skills and receive exposure working with medically complex patients,” Livingood says.
According to ASDOH Dean Jack Dillenberg, D.D.S., M.P.H., this program creates a win-win situation for everyone.
“We are thankful for this collaborative venture with the Piper Trust so that together we can serve a segment of society that deserves a dignified life during their senior years.”
The Piper Trust is a private, independent foundation dedicated to honoring Virginia Galvin Piper’s philanthropic commitment to changing lives and strengthening community in Maricopa County. By investing in nonprofits and encouraging strategic planning for the future, the trust strives to make Maricopa County a stronger, more nurturing and vibrant community.