Working with Communication and Swallowing Difficulties in Older Adults

Book excerpt: This accessible resource offers valuable guidance for all student and practising speech and language therapists (SLTs)who are working with older people with communication and swallowing difficulties. Chapters provide up-to-date theory on age-related changes alongside practical strategies for clinicians to use in their daily work, from help with mental capacity decisions to supporting older people with good palliative care. Promoting a holistic approach for ageing well, this resource dispels myths that surround the ageing process while detailing the normal physiological and psychological effects of ageing on communication and swallowing, as well as diseases and conditions associated with older age, such as frailty. Illustrated throughout with clinical case studies and helpful photocopiable resources to use in practice, this book is a key part of the tool kit for any speech and language therapist working with older adults.