Perfil fonoaudiológico dos idosos atendidos em um centro de referência

Abstract

Introduction: Because of population ageing, special attention should be given to elderly people. Speech language assistance has advanced concerning the development of elderly care actions, enhancing knowledge and improving intervention strategies in this area. Objective: To characterize the speech-language alterations and the most frequent speech-language conducts in elderly individuals who underwent speech-language assessment at a Reference Center, as well as to verify the relationship between the medical reasons for referral and speech-language assessment findings. Methods: Exploratory, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. Data were gathered from the medical records of patients who underwent speech-language assessment at a Reference Center from January to July of 2012. Results: Five hundred and fourteen medical records were analyzed. The main medical reasons for referral were concerns for swallowing (32%), hearing (29%), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo - BPPV (20%), and dizziness (12%). The speech-language diagnoses were: dysphagia (26%), hearing loss (22%), absence of functional impairment (12%), BPPV (10%), and no speech-language diagnosis (17%). The agreement level between the medical reason for referral and speech-language diagnosis was 77%. The most frequent speech-language conducts were: guidance (40%), rehabilitation (28%), and referral to a hearing aid service (11%) or to the Nuclear Family Health Support - NFHS (10%). The speech-language conduct could not be determined for 11% of the subjects. Referrals to otorhinolaryngology, odontology, and nutrition were also suggested. Conclusion: This study provided the identification of the most frequent speech-language issues in the elderly subjects, directioning gerontologyprofessional’s qualification and the establishment of actions on health’s promotion, protection and recovery.