ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of a hybrid group telepractice program in voice therapy for primary school teachers. METHOD: The participants, consisting of 12 teachers with voice disorders (three males and nine females), participated in 11 sessions of the telepractice program, divided into one training session on vocal hygiene, five practice sessions by themselves, and five group practice sessions in 5weeks. Data on the vocal handicap index (VHI) measure was obtained pre- and post-intervention. The voice analysis included fundamental frequency (local), jitter (local), shimmer (local), harmonic-to-noise ratio (local), and maximum phonation time assessed by Praat software. RESULT: The VHI assessment revealed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in the emotional domain. There was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in physical, functional, and total scores. Both males and females had no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in mean fundamental frequency. However, there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in jitter (local), shimmer (local), harmonics-to-noise ratio (local), and the maximum phonation time. CONCLUSION: The group telepractice program in voice therapy for primary school teachers was effective. It could be utilized for voice therapy to prevent voice disorder problems in teachers.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Dementia is one of the most common disorders among older people. This condition causes cognitive impairment, which can affect memory, thinking, expressive or comprehension language. It affects work and daily life. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a word recognition program on naming and quality of life in older people with high risk of dementia. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a word recognition program on naming and quality of life in older people with high risk of dementia. METHODS: A one-group, quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was conducted at Maeka Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Chiang Mai, Thailand, and participants' home setting from December 2021 to March 2022. Participants were 6 Thai elderly persons with a high risk of dementia according to MEST10 cut-off score, including 1 (16.66%) male and 5 (83.34%) females. They were assessed on naming using the WAB test. Additionally, they were assessed on quality of life using the WHOQOL-BREF-THAI. The word recognition program delivered 30 min per day for 5-week duration. The results were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to compare the effect on the intervention program. RESULTS: The older people with high risk of dementia significantly gained in naming after receiving the word recognition program (MD = -9.00 ± 2.344; 95% CI: -20.00 to -4.00; p = 0.031). However, they did not significantly gain in quality of life after receiving the word recognition program (MD = -4.50 ± 3.393; 95% CI: -10.50 to 1.00; p = 0.418). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrates that a 5-week intervention of the word recognition program may be effective in naming to enhance language skills for Thai older people with high risk of dementia.
