PURPOSES: to investigate vocal aspects related to healthy aging in the institutionalized elderly people, and to identify if these aspects interfer with communication and correlate vocal changes with motor oral system evaluation and speech patterns. METHODS: transversal clinic research in which the methods used were interview and phonoaudiological examination of a randomized sample of 48 aged patients, resident in Casa do Ancião Francisco Azevedo - Belo Horizonte/MG, who did not show neurological disabilities. Specific protocols were used, developed by the authors, according to aspects related to the purposes of this study RESULTS: vocal parameters were analyzed and the following conditions were observed: hoarse voice (70,8%), in moderate degree (33,3%), reduced loudness (56,2%), bass pitch (62,5%) and short maximum phonation periods (81,2%). About 41 (85,4%) patients reported that vocal problems do not interfer with their communication process. Normal aging did not result directly in alterations in speech patterns, but changes in motor oral system due to health aging showed different associations with those patterns. CONCLUSIONS: this study showed the presence of alterations in the aspects related to voice but they do not interfer with the communication process. There were not alterations in speech patterns due to health aging but changes in motor oral system showed different association with those patterns. This study has contributed to improve knowledge about voice and elderly that suffer changes due to health aging and live in old people's homes.
Voice; Aging; Health of Institutionalized Elderly
