The ageing voice

Question 1

What is Presbyphonia

Answer 1

Presbyphonia is a voice that shows marked deterioration of functional and acoustic properties associated with ageing in the absence of another pathology

Question 2

What are some characteristics of an aging voice

Answer 2

• The pitch of our voice lowers as we age due to the size of the structures (getting larger) and position of the vocal folds/ tissues thickening
• Vocal folds can also thin due to aging - thinner mass = higher pitch - this is why elderly male voices tend to rise whereas women’s voices lower due to reduction in hormones
• Lung volume can also reduce with age - means that you will start to over ‘valve’ in order to carry on the sound - this can lead to a creaky voice
• There can be problems in controlling the voice - volume, voice tiring etc,