| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺北護理健康大學 === 語言治療與聽力研究所 === 107 === Background: With the elderly population increasing, maintaining and improving the quality of life in the elderly have become a major focus of health, with presbyphonia and other age-related voice problems among the areas of concern. Semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) exercises with straws or tubes have been widely used as a therapeutic approach for a variety of subjects with voice disorders, including elderly subjects. However, the effects of longer periods of SOVT exercises with straws or tubes on the aging voice are not well understood.
Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a straw phonation in water (SPW) exercise program in improving voice production in elderly subjects.
Methods: 37 elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems were assigned into two groups for voice therapy intervention: (1) SPW exercise program with six weekly sessions and home practice (experimental group), and (2) vocal hygiene education with a forty-minute workshop (control group). Before and after the intervention, analysis of the voice production of all subjects was conducted with acoustic analysis, auditory-perceptual evaluation, and self-assessment of voice-related handicap.
Results: Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the two groups in smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPP) measures, harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR), Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10) scores, and the auditory-perceptual parameter of breathiness post-intervention. No significant differences between the two groups were found for maximum phonation time (MPT) and for other auditory-perceptual parameters (overall severity and roughness) post-intervention.
Conclusion: A six-week SPW exercise program could be an effective clinical option for elderly subjects with self-perceived voice problems. The results of the present study supported the positive effects of SOVT exercises for improving the aging voice. Future studies should involve more long-term follow-up evaluation and additional treatment outcomes to better understand the efficacy of SOVT exercises for the aging voice.
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