Meet Lina Akkoum, a dental hygienist working with the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal’s Accommodation Services Directorate. With great respect for seniors, she tends to their oral health with great care, which is important to their well-being. Ms. Akkoum relies on mutual trust, and takes a personalized approach that often ensures optimal preventive and curative treatments.
Ms. Akkoum, what led you to become a dental hygienist?
“When I lived in Lebanon, where I was born, I was a dentist. When I immigrated to Québec in 2003, I quickly understood that the closest profession that was easily accessible to me was a dental hygienist. With the training I already had, I was credited certain courses at Collège de Maisonneuve, where I earned a diploma of college studies in dental hygiene.”
What was your first job in your new career?
“Once I had my diploma of college studies and I was a member in good standing of the Ordre des hygiénistes dentaires du Québec, I found work at a private dental clinic in Westmount. I worked there for almost 17 years.”
And how did you come to join our CIUSSS?
“After many years in the private sector I was looking for a new challenge. I have a great fondness for seniors and I could see myself working with that clientele. By change I saw a job offer posted by the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal on LinkedIn. I applied and got the job about six months ago.”
What are your primary responsibilities?
“My role is to do exams, scaling, and cleaning, as well as marking dental prostheses. I work at Ste. Anne’s Hospital, the Centre d’hébergement Denis-Benjamin-Viger, and the CHSLD Stillview, which are managed by our organization, as well as the CHSLD Manoir de l’Ouest-de-l’Île and Vigi Dollard-des-Ormeaux. In all I provide services to about 700 to 800 people.
Before visiting a resident, I make sure that I have a current and accurate overview of their oral health (natural teeth, no teeth, dental prostheses, etc.). When I meet someone for the first time, I want to create a relationship of trust while offering them the dental hygiene care that suits their needs. With the consent of the resident or their loved ones, if necessary, or even the nurse, I begin providing care on my second visit.
I visit one residential unit at a time. Once I have finished, I create a calendar for the cleaning/scaling/marking treatments and a prioritized list of the residents who need to see a dentist. I discuss the list with the residential unit chief and leave it with them. They then make the request for a dentist. Although I have a regular routine when visiting each facility, I often need to make adjustments to accommodate emergencies.”
What are your biggest challenges?
“Because of the residents’ health issues, providing dental hygiene care in a CHSLD tends to be more complicated than in private clinics. For example, they often receive care in bed. During a cleaning, I need to closely monitor the quantity of water in the resident’s mouth and take frequent breaks, and so on. It can be both physically and mentally demanding, both for the resident and for me.
Thankfully, I can count on support from the nurses and beneficiary attendants, amongst others. By chatting with them, I get important information (pain, refusal to eat, etc.) that help me in my interactions with the seniors.”
What do you enjoy most about your work?
“I am really in my element with seniors, so working with them is very rewarding to me, especially on a human level. Nurses or loved ones often tell me how much my work helps those I care for. On occasion even the seniors I treat smile at me and give me a little hug when they see me. Feeling that I am making a positive contribution to the well-being of people who are vulnerable is very rewarding.
I have received a very warm welcome since starting at the CIUSSS. As I work mostly alone, I appreciate my talks with the nurses, beneficiary attendants, administrative agents, and others. All of my colleagues are truly my allies.”
Ms. Akkoum also agreed to tell us a little bit about her life outside of work.
What should we know about you?
“I am an only child, born in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. I studied dentistry there. When my two daughters, Lynn and Lara, were quite young, my late husband and I decided to immigrate to Canada. We wanted to give our children a safer and more promising living environment. My life in Lebanon was constantly marked by war. I remember studying in the basement to the sound of bombardments. I did not want our girls to grow up like that.
After my father died, I sponsored my mother to come and join us in 2010. Now, my daughters, my mother, and I all share a home in Laval.”
What do you do to relax?
“I enjoy oil painting and creating jewellery, as well as hiking with a group of people. I also cook a lot, often with my mother. My Lebanese fattouche and taboule salads are very popular, if I say so myself.”
Do you like to travel?
“I LOVE to travel! I particularly to learn about the everyday lives of people. Egypt, Turkiye, Spain, and Portugal are countries I really enjoy because of their rich history and varied landscapes. My next dream destination is Italy!”
“Since I started at the CIUSSS, I have had access to very pertinent training, particularly about working with seniors, resolving clinical cases, and the Programme québécois de soins buccodentaires et de soins d’hygiène quotidiens de la bouche,” says Ms. Akkoum, shown here during a trip to Turkiye.
“After a terrible explosion in Beirut on August 4, 202, which left more than 200 people dead and 6500 injured, I travelled back to Lebanon three times to provide support. I even sold some of my paintings and donated the funds to the Red Cross,” adds Ms. Akkoum, who is concerned about the troubling events currently unfolding in Lebanon.