Behavioural and neuropsychological studies on elderly populations concentrate on many aspects of cognitive functioning, but significantly less research concerns communication processes, including aspects of verbal communication skills, pragmatic issues that are important for performing social tasks at every age.

To characterize the variability in changes that occur with age in the domain of pragmatic aspects of verbal communication skills in a group of individuals aged > 65 years and to define their determinants.

A group of 109 normally ageing individuals (aged 64.9–90 years) participated in the study (62 women and 47 men). Participants were divided into two age groups: < 70 and > 71 years old. The verbal communication skills were examined using the Polish version of the Right Hemisphere Language Battery (RHLB‐PL), and cognitive skills using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Comparison between the subgroups showed that there was a significant decline in the older group in all the subtests except for the Discourse Analysis. Age did not differentiate discursive abilities in seniors. These data apparently confirm the hypothesis that discursive competences are stable throughout one's lifespan. In order to compare younger and older seniors in terms of the 11 aspects of pragmatic communication, two performance profiles were prepared for the groups and subjected to comparative analyses. The shape of the two profiles of all communication competences was similar. The biggest differences were identified between the groups in the Comments, Humour and Metaphor comprehension and explanation subtests. Analysis of the determinants of changes in pragmatic aspects of verbal communication skills in elderly individuals revealed that the important factors include age, overall level of cognitive function, higher education and female sex.

The relationship between age and pragmatic aspects of verbal communication skills is complex. The results indicate that treating seniors as a homogenous group in terms of pragmatic aspects of verbal communication functioning is incorrect. Age differentially affects the various aspects of communication functions. The level of cognitive functioning mediates the relationship between age and pragmatic aspects of verbal communication skills.

What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this …