Focusing Our Attention on Socially Responsive Professional Education to Serve Ethnogeriatric Populations With Neurogenic Communication Disorders in the United States

Authors

José G. Centeno, Rutgers School of Health Professions
Loraine K. Obler, City University of New York
Linda Collins, Southeastern Louisiana University
Gloriajean Wallace, Chapman UniversityFollow
Valarie B. Fleming, Texas State University - San Marcos
Jacqueline Guendouzi, Southeastern Louisiana University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-26-2023

Abstract

Purpose:

This viewpoint discusses a plausible framework to educate future speech-language pathologists (SLPs) as socially responsive practitioners who serve and advocate for the burgeoning vulnerable ethnogeriatric populations with neurogenic communication disorders.

Method:

We provide an overview of the demographic, epidemiological, and biopsychosocial context that supports the implementation of equity-based, population-grounded educational approaches for speech-language pathology services in ethnogeriatric neurorehabilitation caseloads and discuss a plausible perspective based on the educational social determinants of health (SDOH) framework by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Results:

The NASEM's three-domain SDOH educational perspective integrates education, community, and organization to create a self-reinforcing pedagogical coproduction that, grounded in the synergized partnerships of educational institutions, engaged communities, and organizational leadership, aims to address systemic drivers of health perpetuating ethnoracial disparities in health, care, and outcomes.

Conclusion:

Exponentially growing vulnerable ethnogeriatric populations with age-related neurogenic communication disorders warrant the implementation of health equity education strategies to train technically prepared, socially conscious SLPs as service providers and advocates.

Comments

This article was originally published in American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology in 2023. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00325

Recommended Citation

Centeno JG, Obler LK, Collins L, Wallace G, Fleming VB, Guendouzi J. Focusing our attention on socially responsive professional education to serve ethnogeriatric populations with neurogenic communication disorders in the United States. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00325

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.