Working in a quiet, well lit area and using brightly colored visual aids are also helpful. There are several normal aging changes that can affect our speech, which is a primary form of expression. For speech we need respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation. Increased rigidity of the vertebral column and rib cage and decreased lung expansion due to weakness of respiratory muscles and a decrease in elasticity and recoil of the lungs all affect respiration. Decreased respiration strength can make it difficult to sustain phonation or speak loudly, and difficulty maintaining breath control may cause speech to be breathy or shaky.
Phonation is the production of sound through vibration of the vocal cords.
The sound of a person's voice can tell us their feelings, if they are happy, sad, or grumpy. With age the voice sometimes sounds rough, tremulous, or variable in pitch. The normal changes of the laryngeal structures that contribute to these voice qualities include calcification or ossification of the cartilage and fatty degeneration of the tissue. Atrophy or edema of the vocal cords can occur as well as decrease blood supply to laryngeal muscles and stiffening of ligaments. Many older people experience a dehydration of the laryngeal mucosa, however some have conditions that result in overproduction of mucous, such as chronic bronchitis, that cause frequent throat clearing and hoarseness.