Aboriginal liaison officer (ALO) involvement

7.6 Speech pathologists should offer the involvement of an Aboriginal Liaison Officer (ALO) and/or Aboriginal Health Worker (AHW)* where possible to advise on cultural issues and liaise with the person with aphasia and their family.

Reference: Ciccone et al., 2019: Pre-post design; Cochrane et al., 2016: Qualitative study; Cochrane et al., 2020: Systematic review of 6 studies (4 qualitative, 1 quantitative, 1 mixed methods); Hersh et al., 2015: Survey

NHMRC level of Evidence: IV; Qual.

Rationale: Understanding different worldviews is important in aphasia assessment and management. It is recommended that speech pathologists work with ALOs/AHWs who can help to bridge these different worldviews (Cochrane et al., 2020; Hersh et al., 2015). The ALO/AHW may be able to assist with developing trust between healthcare providers and the person with aphasia and their family, which is an important value within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The ALO/AHW may also be able to advise the speech pathologist regarding specific cultural issues and needs (Ciccone et al., 2019). The speech pathologist may be able to work with the ALO/AHW to identify factors that have the potential to reduce or facilitate participation in rehabilitation.

Increased communication and engagement between speech pathologist and ALO/AHW may be required to define the ALO/AHW’s role, including potential limitations (e.g., providing interpreter services, considering the wide range of Indigenous languages and dialects; Cochrane et al., 2016; Cochrane et al., 2020). Relationships can be built through yarning between the speech pathologist and ALO/AHW, which in turn can help to establish relationships with clients and their communities (see statement 7.8).

*Different terms may be used to describe similar positions, for example: Indigenous Health Officer, Torres Strait Islander Health Officer, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker, Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer, Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer, Aboriginal clinicians.

 References:

1. Ciccone, N., Armstrong, E., Hersh, D., Adams, M., & McAllister, M. (2019). The Wangi (talking) project: A feasibility study of a rehabilitation model for Aboriginal people with acquired communication disorders after stroke. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 21(3), 305-316. DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2019.1595146 
2. Cochrane, F., Brown, L., Siyambalapitiya, S., & Plant, C. (2016). “...Trial and error…”: Speech-language pathologists’ perspectives of working with Indigenous Australian adults with acquired communication disorders. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18(5), 420-431. DOI: 10.3109/17549507.2015.1101157
3. Cochrane, F., Siyambalapitiya, S., & Cornwell, P. (2020). Speech-language pathology services for Indigenous Australian adults with acquired communication disorders: A systematic review. Speech, Language and Hearing, 23(2), 79-90. DOI: 10.1080/2050571X.2018.1544729
4. Hersh, D., Armstrong, E., Panak, V., & Coombes, J. (2015). Speech-language pathology practices with Indigenous Australians with acquired communication disorders. International Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 17(1), 74–85. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2014.923510