Fixing my old-lady voice
1912 therapy for stuttering has some similarity to today’s therapy for muscular tension dysphonia
At 75, I was intent on fixing my old-lady voice. It was a weak and creaky, cranky, leaky voice, but a speech therapist trained me to fix that. She gave me a gym programme for the voice, with exercises for every day and for emergencies. Our voices are closely entwined with our identity and our communication with the world. So when the voice fades, confidence and self-esteem take a hit. Everyone’s voice is unique, as personal as fingerprints. How about recording a conversation with an older relative or friend, before it’s too late?
I’m Rachel McAlpine, I’m learning how to be old, and I’m talking to you with my very own voice.
Fixing my old-lady voice: Boot Camp For the Bonus Years, 2015
The aging voice: therapy and gym programme
Laryngoscopy tracks the cause of weaky, peaky, creaky old-person voice