Summary
Objectives/Hypothesis
An increasing number of older adults are seeking behavioral voice therapy to manage
their voice problems. Poor adherence to voice therapy is a known problem across all
treatment-seeking populations. Given age-related physical and cognitive impairments
and multiple chronic conditions, older adults are more susceptible to low adherence
to behavioral therapies. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of
an at-home, vocal training intervention for older adults without a known voice disorder
living in a senior living community, as well as compare the effects of two modes of
mobile health (mHealth) technology-assisted vocal training targeting vocal function
and adherence in older adults.
Study Design
Parallel Group – Randomized Trial.
Methods
Twenty-three individuals were recruited from a single residential retirement community
and randomly allocated into two experimental groups. Both groups were asked to practice
the Vocal Function Exercises with increasing frequency over an 8-week period. Tablets
with instructions for performing the exercises were provided to all participants.
The feedback group's tablets also contained an application providing real-time feedback
on pitch, loudness, and duration. Acoustic and aerodynamic measures of vocal function
and cognitive measures were obtained before and after the intervention. Self-reported
measures of practice frequency, perceived vocal progress and changes, and motivation
were obtained weekly.
Results
The feedback control group adhered to the requested practice sessions more in the
latter half of the intervention (weeks 5 and 8). Vocal function measures remained
stable. Overall, a pattern reflecting self-reported vocal progress and a general improvement
in working memory and global cognitive functioning was observed in the feedback group.
Conclusions
This study demonstrated that an 8-week mHealth intervention is viable to facilitate
vocal practice in older adults. Although vocal ability did not improve with training,
results indicated that vocal performance remained stable and age-related vocal changes
did not progress. Future research on implementation of mHealth applications in conjunction
with behavioral voice therapy is warranted to assess adherence and improvements in
vocal function in individuals with age-related voice problems.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 16, 2022
Accepted:
July 20,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
Funding: This study was funded in part by a pilot grant from the Center on Health, Aging, and Disability at the College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
