Normering av Rösthandikappindex och Halsskalan för personer över 65 år i Sverige.

Sammanfattning: The population over 65 years of age is increasing and health in elderly has been a subject of research for decades but voice function and vocal health has not been prioritized. The purpose of this study is to obtain reference value for the Swedish version of Voice Handicap Index (RHI) and the Throat Scale among people over 65 years of age and assess voice function and vocal health for this age group. The questions were as followed: 1) What is the reference value of RHI for people over 65 years of age? 2) What is the reference value of the Throat Scale for people over 65 years of age? 3) Is there a correlation between a self-rated VA-scale on the perceived degree of voice problems, and the self-rated RHI-/Throat Scale result? 4) Does age, gender or previous profession matter for the self-perceived voice? In total 100 individuals participated in the study, 50 women and 50 men, between 65 and 92 years old. The reference value of RHI for people over 65 years of age was 13,4 points and the reference value for the Throat Scale was 7,7 points. Both reference values are higher than reference values for younger people. The reference value of RHI is mainly described from the high points of the participants over 85 years of age. There was a correlation between the results of the RHI/the Throat Scale and the VA-scale concerning the perceived degree of voice problems, p < .01. Age is a significant factor for self-perceived voice problems. The older the subject, the higher points scored, both on the RHI, p < .05 and the Throat Scale. The results of the Throat Scale, however, were not significant. Even though most of the participants were active the reference value of RHI and the Throat Scale was higher than the reference value for younger people. The conclusion is that the voice changes in elderly affect voice experience.