INTRODUCTION: The relationship between aging and the quality of voice has been researched for the last several decades. Multiple studies have found that females older than 40 consistently experience more instances of voice problems than their male counterparts. RESEARCH QUESTION: to what degree does a vocal loading task fatigue older women? How does the rate of vocal fatigue compare to that found in younger women? METHODS: Eleven female subjects from the age of 55-70 years old were recruited. Participants read aloud for 36 minutes at predetermined dB levels in an attempt to induce vocal fatigue. Subjective and acoustic vocal measures were taken not before and after the vocal loading task and at intervals during the task. RESULTS: Subjective results, acoustical parameters, and comparison data from the younger population were found to not be significant. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that vocal loading task did vocally fatigue the participants based on subjective ratings. Acoustically there trending evidence of fatigue from the loading task. The aging female population did not vocally fatigue at any greater rate than their younger counterparts. However, there was evidence that fatigue rate did relate to pulmonary health (estimated lung age) in the older population.
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