Degree of Vocal Handicap in Two Age Groups of Individuals

A healthy, functional voice is a critical aspect of daily life, allowing the expression of basic needs as well as interaction within an individual’s community. Unfortunately, for many adults the voice declines in later life. The purpose of this study was to investigate how normal vocal aging affects the quality of life of the elderly. Two hundred two adults without voice disorders from two age groups (30-50 and 65-85) completed the Voice Handicap Index. Results indicated that the older group felt a greater degree of vocal handicap than the younger age group [F (1,156) = 4.944, p = 0.028]. Implications of the study for care of the aging voice and areas for further research are discussed