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Role of Language and Speech Therapist in Palliative Care

Claudia Olivares Matus

Background: In many cases, older adults reach the end of their lives suffering from different health conditions that interfere with their
communication, limiting their opportunities to express wishes or wills. The role of the speech therapist in the palliative care team and how to
include them in palliative care health team could optimize the patient’s communication with his environment, has not been investigated in Depth.
The aim of this research is describe how the speech therapist can contribute to the care of patients in palliative care by optimizing communication
skills for greater comfort at the end of life.
Method: A bibliographic review was made, without restriction of date, in the Spanish and English languages. There were no restrictions
regarding the type of study. All sources included approaches to speech therapy performance in palliative care.
Results: The evidence related to the role of language and speech therapy in palliative care is not consistent, it establishes certain guidelines
to focus attention on maintaining the quality of life, taking into consideration some skills of the discipline that would help optimize communication
at the end of life.
Conclusion: The increase of the geriatric population in the country requires professionals better prepared to attend their demands and needs,
this implies modifying the task and enhancing the disciplinary skills for the benefit of those who require it. This review gives the first orientations to
the language and speech therapist role in palliative care.