ABSTRACT
The communication chain described in Chapter 1 illustrates the fact that the reception of a message is as crucial for successful communication to occur, as is the sending. This applies whether the message is conveyed through the auditory, the visual, or another medium. Thus the speech therapist must be aware of sensory changes due to the aging process, and how sensory disorders affect communication. Such knowledge will be important in assessment and management of older people with speech or language disorders, but in addition the speech therapist may have a primary role to play in working with, for example, the hearing-impaired older individual.
