Communicative Needs and Bilingualism in Elderly Australians of Six Ethnic Backgrounds

The communicative needs and bilingual language use of elderly members of six ethnic communities in Brisbane were investigated, to provide a basis for the development of linguistically and culturally appropriate measures of communication impairment. Data were collected using group and individual interview methods. The results highlighted the importance of communication in the family and social domains for all groups. This is not adequately reflected in some existing measures of functional communication. Degrees of bilingualism were found not to be consistently related with length of residence in Australia. For subjects reporting difficulty in speaking English, communication in the public domain was restricted.