Communicating with the aphasic dental patient.
A significant proportion of older adults has communication impairments. Language disorders involve problems with the use of learned symbol systems, including numbers, pictures, and words. Aphasia is one of the most common types of language disorders experienced by the elderly and is usually caused by a cerebrovascular accident or stroke, but can also be caused by head trauma and tumors. The growing number of dental patients with this language disorder will challenge the dental team to understand and evaluate aphasia and develop effective communication strategies. This paper describes the language impairments commonly experienced by stroke victims, and discusses assessment and communication strategies specifically for the aphasic dental patient.
Mowery
A J
AJ
D000368:Aged; D001037:Aphasia / Q000209:etiology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications; D003142:Communication; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000379:methods*; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities / Q000379:methods*; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D006801:Humans