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Speech Therapy Soothes Raspy Voice
A couple of years ago, Wilma Casanova started to notice that she didn’t sound much like herself anymore.
"I thought it was just age," said the retired Rome Free Academy teacher. "My voice had become coarse, rough, and very unpleasant to hear."
As her vocal quality deteriorated, Mrs. Casanova made an appointment with David Rodriguez, M.D., an ear, nose and throat specialist, to see if anything could be done. Public speaking was such an integral part of her life. She spent 27 years in the classroom teaching health and science. In her retirement, she has continued her involvement in local theater and community organizations.
When the doctor didn’t find anything organically wrong, he referred her to the Speech Therapy Department at Rome Memorial Hospital. Ms. Casanova had vocal dysphonia with persistent hoarseness, according to Jackie Kolb, M.A., CCC-SLP, supervising speech-language pathologist at Rome Memorial Hospital.
"Often a change in vocal quality can be traced to an episode of illness, such as bronchitis, that involved a lot of coughing that irritated the vocal cords," she explained. "Hoarseness, decreased volume, pitch changes and loss of voice can be the result of that irritation." Clear speech requires the coordination of the lips, tongue, voice box, and lungs. If any of these structures are weakened, speech may become difficult to produce and understand.
The speech-language pathologist evaluated Ms. Casanova to determine what factors were contributing to the changes in her voice. With vocal exercises and practice, Ms. Casanova was able to adjust her pitch and breath support such that producing a clear voice didn’t require so much effort.
"She was very motivated," Ms. Kolb said. "Because of her appreciation for literature and the stage, she memorized and recited ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ as one of her tools to practice her breath support and pitch."
"I should have gone sooner, because Jackie really helped a lot," Ms. Casanova said, recalling how her voice must have sounded to the Wednesday Morning Club when she gave a book review before undergoing voice therapy. "I’m sure it was awful to have to sit and listen to someone whose voice was grating."
"The exercises she gave me were very effective in restoring my voice. It’s pretty well modulated now," Ms. Casanova said. Without therapy Ms. Casanova said she probably would have been forced to give up the stage. Now, she’s diving back in ready to direct "Having Our Say." "It gave me more confidence because I could see the change in my voice," Ms. Casanova said.
"Anyone that’s experienced a change in the ability to communicate should see a doctor," Ms. Kolb said. "Changes in articulation, voice, word retrieval, or cognitive skills may be a result of a serious medical problem that requires treatment."
Rome Memorial Hospital’s Speech Therapy Department offers evaluation and treatment for dysfunctions or changes in communication, voice, cognition or swallowing. For more information, please call 338-7154.
Take care of your voice.
These tips can help you keep your voice and speech sounding clear:
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