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The Aging Voice

Recorded on 4/30/2009

PROGRAM DETAILS:

Your voice – few of us think about just how important it is until it stops functioning normally. Like any muscle in the body, your vocal cords age, they can be over-stretched and strained. Is it possible you’re damaging them now? What can you do to protect them? To answer these questions and more Patient Power host Andrew Schorr is joined by Dr. Albert Merati, Chief of Laryngology Service in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC). Also answering questions is Juli Rosenzweig, a speech pathologist, who works alongside Dr. Merati at the University of Washington Medical Center.

For UWMC patient Jim Howton, he first noticed trouble with his voice as he sang to his favorite songs while driving in the car and couldn’t quite hit the notes. His voice eventually became so strained that Jim had problems just talking on the phone without getting extremely hoarse and even losing his voice at points. Learn about how Dr. Merati and Ms. Rosenzweig helped Jim regain the majority of his vocal strength and got him back to doing what he loves – singing.

For some patients, it may be as simple as becoming aware of the way the air enters your mouth and concentrating on your breathing. Learn about vocal efficiency and why irritants like coffee, tobacco and alcohol may be having an adverse affect on your voice. Dr. Merati also touches on minor in-office operative procedures available for patients who require them, as well as how conditions like reflux, known more commonly as heart burn, may affect your voice. He encourages people who are having trouble with their voice to visit a comprehensive clinic, where disorders of the voice, airway and swallowing can be addressed. If you want to learn how to protect your voice, don’t miss this important program.

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EXPERTS & GUESTS:
Albert Merati, M.D. Albert Merati, M.D.
Chief of Laryngology Service, Department of Otolaryngology, UW Medicine
Dr. Merati is chief of the University of Washington Medical Center’s Laryngology Service in the Department of Otolaryngology. His areas of expertise include care of professional voice, swallowing dysfunction, airway diseases and vocal fold paralysis. Dr. Merati received his medical degree from the University of Washington in Seattle and completed residency training at the University of of California at San... more >

Juli Rosenzweig,
Speech Pathologist, UW Medicine
Juli is a Speech Pathologist certified in 2000. She has worked with voice disorders since the beginning. Her background is in theater and she has worked as a voice teacher and dialect coach in the theater since 1996 when she trained with Arthur Lessac. Juli has worked with Dr. Albert Merati since his arrival to the University of Washington Medical... more >

James "Jim" Howton,
Singer & Voice Patient, UW Medicine
Seventy-four year old Jim Howton, of South Bellevue, WA, has always enjoyed singing. Although he has had many different jobs and lived in several different places, the two constants in his life have been his lovely wife of 53 years and his love of singing. A few years ago, Jim began to experience some strain in his vocal cords and... more >

TRANSCRIPT:

  1. Introduction LISTEN
  2. Jim’s Story LISTEN
  3. How the Voice is Affected by Age or Disease LISTEN
  4. Treatment Options LISTEN
  5. Preserving and Protecting Your Voice LISTEN
  6. Closing comments LISTEN

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