Using the Barnes Language Assessment with older ethnic minority groups

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Linguistics
• Neuropsychology

Background:

• Assessing older adults from ethnic minority groups presents challenges, notably language barriers for English as an Additional Language (EAL) speakers.
• The Barnes Language Assessment (BLA) is a validated tool for identifying language patterns in dementia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if EAL speakers perform less well than English as a First Language (EFL) speakers on the BLA.
• To explore reasons for performance differences and discuss implications for healthcare and research.

Main Methods:

• The BLA was administered to 144 participants without a dementia diagnosis.
• Participants were stratified by age, gender, and educational background.
• Performance of EAL participants was compared against EFL participants.

Main Results:

• EAL speakers scored lower than EFL speakers when matched for other variables.
• Higher educational achievement correlated with significantly better BLA scores in both EAL and EFL groups for 8 of 15 sub-tests.

Conclusions:

• Performance disparities on the BLA exist between EAL and EFL speakers.
• Increased educational attainment reduced the performance gap between EAL and EFL groups.
• Findings highlight challenges in service delivery and recruitment for older EAL participants in research.