ABSTRACT
This chapter assists the clinician in building a skill set for working with older people with communication impairments. It follows through a typical clinical journey, from case history taking, assessment and interpretation, goal setting, intervention, outcomes and follow-up. At the end of the chapter, there is a communication symptoms checklist that can be filled in by the client or a family member. Communication style varies significantly from person to person, and it is the level of deviation from the client’s normal communication style that generates cause for concern. Clinicians tend to use a mixture of formal and informal assessment to assess a particular language area. Student clinicians benefit from placement experience of communicating with older adults in a general setting, such as a care home. Some voice changes are common in older people. The vocal cords become drier, and there might be less breath support to project the voice.
