Healthy Aging & Clinical Care in the Elderly

Normally, aging adults experience a wide range of changes in sensory abilities, cognition, and language. Pragmatic language ability, or social use of language, declines primarily as a result of the aging of the right cerebral hemisphere of the brain. This commentary will describe the consequences of pragmatic language decline in older adults and how it can damage communication with conversation partners. Aspects of both production and comprehension of pragmatic language can be impaired, including facial expressions, gestures, and figurative language, among others. Older adults also tend to have vital relationships with health care providers to manage increases in illness and other health issues. Essential communication between patients and providers can become more difficult as a result of decline in older patients’ pragmatic language ability, potentially resulting in health information being misunderstood. With the number of adults aged >60 years in the world projected to double by 2050, pragmatic language deficits in older adults will continue to affect the patient–provider relationship and quality of care.