engleski

Voice Disorers and Voice Therapy in Elderly

Introduction and Objectives. Voice disorders in the elderly are usually the result of physiological changes in the larynx that result in poor voice quality, vocal fatigue, and vocal strain. However, part of the diagnosed voice disorders in this population is not due to aging. The aim of this paper is to present a clinical snapshot of such voice disorders – specifically the ones that accompany organic changes in the vocal cords – as well as to demonstrate the results of their rehabilitation. Methods. The study involved 23 women and 7 men aged 60 to 89 years with paralysis of the vocal cords caused by thyroidectomy (12), gastroesophageal reflux (LPR) (9), post-operative vagal glomus tumor (2), Reinke’s edema (6 ) and vocal cord polyp (1). Their selfassessment of voice-related quality of life and their acoustic voice characteristics (jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio) were compared before and after rehabilitation. Results. After rehabilitation, the acoustic parameters improved significantly, indicating that, regardless of patient age or the impact of functional dysphonia in the elderly population, a good rehabilitation procedure can evoke objectively measurable positive voice changes. Self- assessment revealed that poorer voice quality affects quality of life among these patients as well, even though they are no longer professionally involved or maximally socially active. Conclusion. The results of this study clearly demonstrate the need for the involvement of elderly persons in voice rehabilitation and the benefits of exploring various rehabilitation options in daily clinical work to raise or preserve their quality of life.

voice disorders ; voice therapy ; aging voice

nije evidentirano