Comparison of Voice-Related Quality of Life for the Elderly with and without Voice Disorders According to Genders by Aging Voice Index-Korean Version

Objectives: The present study was performed to investigate the effect of voice problems on voice related quality of life in the elderly with, without voice disorders, according to genders by using the Aging Voice Index-Korean version (AVI-KR).Methods: The AVI-KR, a translated original version of the Aging Voice Index (AVI) into Korean and verified for reliability and validity, was implemented with 50 elderly people without voice disorders (normal group) and 76 elderly people with voice disorders (patient group). Statistical difference according to the group (normal and patient group) and gender (male and female) were analyzed by using a 2-way ANOVA.Results: The mean total score of the AVI-KR of the normal group was significantly higher than that of the patient group. All of the normal group participants showed under 11.00, the cut-off score of AVI-KR, but 17.1% of the patient group appeared under the cut-off score. The female group showed higher scores than the male group, but the difference was not significant. Also, the gender difference of patient groups did not show a statistical significance.Conclusion: The voice-related quality of life in elderly people showed significant difference according to presence/absence of pathological vocal fold status, but the gender difference due to aging did not cause a difference in voice-related quality of life. Even pathological status of vocal fold did not guarantee a bad influence on voice-related quality of life. Therefore, the assessment of elderly people’s voice problems should be carried out not only with an examiner or expert-centered objective tools; but also patient-centered ones, including self-reporting questionnaires and evaluation tools specialized for the elderly, should be developed continuously.

Effects of a 6-Week Straw Phonation in Water Exercise Program on the Aging Voice

Purpose Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with tubes or straws have been widely used for a variety of voice disorders. Yet, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises (lasting for weeks) on the aging voice are not well understood. This study investigated the effects of a 6-week straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program. Method Thirty-seven elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems were assigned into two groups: (a) SPW exercises with six weekly sessions and home practice (experimental group) and (b) vocal hygiene education (control group). Before and after intervention (2 weeks after the completion of the exercise program), acoustic analysis, auditory–perceptual evaluation, and self-assessment of vocal impairment were conducted. Results Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the two groups in smoothed cepstral peak prominence measures, harmonics-to-noise ratio, the auditory–perceptual parameter of breathiness, and Voice Handicap Index-10 scores postintervention. No significant differences between the two groups were found for other measures. Conclusions Our results supported the positive effects of SOVT exercises for the aging voice, with a 6-week SPW exercise program being a clinical option. Future studies should involve long-term follow-up and additional outcome measures to better understand the efficacy of SOVT exercises, particularly SPW exercises, for the aging voice.