RACGP Aged Care Clinical Guide (Silver Book)
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. (2019).
Australia: Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
This guideline from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners provides recommendations regarding the care of patients 65 and older as they age. This summary highlights recommendations within the scope of audiology and speech-language pathology.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
<div>For older adults with dementia, cognitive function may be assessed by the patient's multidisciplinary team. Functional capacity should be reviewed regularly. See the Collaboration and Multidisciplinary Team-Based Care section of the Silver Book - Part B for detailed description of optimal care considerations.</div>
<div>For older adults who are bilingual, counseling and education may be provided with the help of an interpreter. If strongly preferred by the patient, especially for patients with dementia or hearing loss, a family member may act as an interpreter after that individual is respectfully educated on the interpreter's role and a back-up plan for a professional interpreter, if needed, is established.</div>
<div>Older adults should have a regular audiological review for possible hearing loss that includes an examination of the ear and maintenance of hearing aids as appropriate. Regular audiology assessment may also address balance disorders and fall prevention.</div>
<div>When assessing cognition in older adults, the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) has been validated for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations, while the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is "Western-centric" and may not provide productive information for CLD individuals.</div>
<div>For older adults experiencing frailty and developing end-of-life goals, a team of health professionals (e.g., speech therapist, physiotherapist, nutritionist, dentist) should be involved early in discussions. For older individuals with stroke or neurodegenerative disorders, healthcare providers should work proactively to monitor general health and maintain mobility and independence. See the Collaboration and multidisciplinary team-based care section of the Silver Book - Part B for detailed description of optimal care considerations.</div>
<div>Older adults should be recommended strategies to preserve hearing function and prevent hearing loss.</div>
