Voice Therapy for the Elderly

Abstract

The number of elderly people with presbyphonia seeking voice treatment has been increasing over the last two decades. The fast rate of growth in the older population presents voice clinicians with the urgent need to seek effective treatment for aging voice disorders. Findings from the current literature suggest that voice therapy for age-related atrophy of the vocal fold has the potential to mitigate the effects of vocal aging. More than ten major studies that assessed the effectiveness of interventions for the aging voice have been reported. The voice therapy techniques evaluated included vocal function exercises, phonation resistance training exercises, resonant voice therapy, Lee Silverman voice treatment, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, and flow phonation. Findings from the literature suggest that voice therapy for the aging voice might have the potential to mitigate the effects of vocal aging, but the evidence provided by previous research is weak, with relatively low levels of evidence in most studies. Recently, several animal studies have begun to assess the effects of stimulation on the vocal fold.Considering the basic research that has been reported to date, more clinical investigation is needed to examine how treatment strategy, patient history, and behavior interplay to produce successful outcomes.