Communicative Ability in Normal Aging: A Review

Background & Objectives: Changes in the communicative ability of the elderly are often considered part of thenatural aging process. There are multidimensional areas in communication that need to be evaluated in order to delineate the specific changes in the elderly population. The purpose of this study was to identify domain-specific characteristics for speech and language (i.e., respiration, voice, articulation, hearing, reception, expression) via literature review. Methods: We searched articles and books/chapters on geriatric communication (dysfunction) via the medical/social science search engines, restricted to years 1947 to 2009. Then we categorized the contents of the articles and books/chapters in terms of six domains, including respiration, voice, articulation, hearing, receptive, and expressive ability. Results: Specific age-related changes occurred in various communicative structures and functions, including respiratory, phonatory, auditory, receptive, and expressive-language domains, although it was reported that articulatory functions remain the same. Discussion & Conclusion: In this study, we observed changes in the overall communicative ability and specific aspects revealed during the process of aging. Future studies should refer to this study as the basis for determining how reduced communicative abilities within each domain may affect the daily lives of the older population, and also as a reference regarding the necessary abilities for maintaining effective communication skills at each chronological stage during senescence.