JCPSLP Vol 17 No 2 2015_web

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JCPSLP Volume 17, Number 2 2015 57
Aged care
Australia, like many countries, has
an ageing population due to a
declining birth rate and increased
life expectancy. This demographic change
presents tremendous social opportunities,
but also economic and health challenges.
Speech pathologists have the expertise
necessary to help ensure that people
not only live longer, but do so with safe
swallowing and effective communication
as the basis for healthy, productive, and
enjoyable lives. Accordingly, this issue of
JCPSLP presents a collection of reviews,
clinical insights, and research articles
focusing primarily on the opportunities
and challenges for speech pathologists
working in “Aged care”.
Bennett, Ward, Scarinci, and Waite
open the issue with their findings from
a qualitative study examining the challenges to communication management
in aged-care settings. They note that communication is central to personal
identity, yet providing communication services in these settings can be
challenging. O’Leary, McRae, Copley, and MacBean explore the barriers
and facilitators to service provision for adults following traumatic brain injury,
suggesting that person-centred care with family involvement is critical to
ensuring positive outcomes. Whitworth, Leitão, Breese, Cato, and Cartwright
examine factors that contribute to the success of volunteer-led aphasia groups
in the community, with a focus on sustainability.
Three articles examine issues associated with preparing future speech
pathologists for work in Aged care. Pascoe, Breen, and Cocks suggest that
universities need to ensure that curricula reflect and address the growing role
for speech pathologists in aged-care settings. Hewetson, Cornwell, Davern,
Hill, and Hunter examine the impact of clinical placements in aged-care settings
on students’ knowledge, confidence, and attitudes towards with working
with older people. They report positive effects on students’ knowledge, skills,
and attitudes following clinical placements, but a less malleable preference
among students for working with younger populations. Cartwright, Sanderson,
Whitworth, Oliver, and Gribble report similar results from a study in which
students demonstrated improved attitudes, confidence, and collaborative
practices following multidisciplinary placements in aged-care settings.
Davis and Kay present a clinical insight piece, in which they describe how
a relatively small change in practice (changing medications) led to a positive
service-wide impact on medication prescription within a hospital setting.
Cartwright and Oliver examine the evidence for the use of non-pharmacological
Montessori-based interventions for persons with dementia, highlighting the role
of the speech pathologist as part of a collaborative team. Finally, Smith and
Kenny present an insightful “Ethical conversations” article illustrating possible
challenges and solutions to working ethically in aged-care settings.
A common theme across all articles is the importance of person-centred,
multidisciplinary, evidence-based, collaborative practice. The articles leave
me with the impression that the essence of working in aged-care settings is
not different to that of working in other speech pathology settings. However,
the opportunities are clearly many and some of the challenges unique, thus
deserving and requiring a concerted, sophisticated, and enthusiastic response
from our speech pathology community.
From the editor
David Trembath
57 From the editor
58 Challenges to communication management
in residential aged care – Michelle K. Bennett,
Elizabeth C. Ward, Nerina A. Scarinci, and
Monique C. Waite
63 Speech pathology services following
traumatic brain injury: The perspectives of
health care consumers – Kathryn A. O’Leary,
Alastair D. McRae, Anna M. Copley, and
Naomi A. MacBean
68 Volunteer-led aphasia groups in the
community: Critical success factors in their
sustainability – Anne Whitworth, Suze Leitão,
Melanie Breese, Louise Cato, and Jade
Cartwright
75 The future of speech pathology in aged
care: Students’ confidence and interest in
working with older people – Ronelle Hewetson,
Petrea Cornwell, Susannah Davern, Anne E.
Hill, and Lucy Hunter
82 Being prepared for working in palliative
care: The speech pathology perspective
– Ashleigh Pascoe, Lauren J. Breen, and
Naomi Cocks
85 Educating a future aged-care workforce:
Shaping positive attitudes and developing
collaborative practice capabilities – Jade
Cartwright, Brooke Sanderson, Anne
Whitworth, Elizabeth Oliver, and Nigel Gribble
91 A multidisciplinary approach to difficulty
swallowing medication: An alternative to
dose form modification – Emily Davis and
Derek Kay
94 What’s the evidence? Montessori-based
interventions for people with dementia in a
residential aged-care setting – Jade Cartwright
and Elizabeth Oliver
98 A speech-language perspective on “doing
good” in end-of-life care for people with
advanced dementia – Helen Smith and
Belinda Kenny
104 Around the journals
106 Webwords 52: Speech-language pathology:
A young profession in an ageing world
– Caroline Bowen
109 Resource review
111 Top ten resources in aged care – Jill Lesic
Contents