Why is my Dad's voice almost a whisper?

My dad has this low talk also. Sometimes I have to put my ear to his mouth to hear him! He is newly diagnosed with chf. I was told speech issues like this is from the Parkinson's but I fear it's also due to the chf when he gets weak.

When my Dad went to hospice level late last fall and I visited him in December, he barely whispered a "Hi" to me. I know he was getting very weak; he was completely bedridden at that point. He was on heavy morphine pain medication for a recently injured bad hip. Dad could not have hip surgery because he was 91 and had a heart condition as well. He died in April 2014.

When my Dad suffered a hip injury from a couple of falls late last year, the doctors put him on strong morphine for the pain. In November, he became bedridden. I visited him early in December, and when I talked with him, he could only issue a whisper for "Hi" because he was so weak. He died in late April this year.

Behavioral changes, mood swings, irritability are commonly experienced by elderly persons. Getting help at home improves quality of life, and may reduce overwhelming feelings of helplessness or frustration.

Thanks for the explanation. I was not aware that part of aging is the thinning of vocal cords. My mom tends to get frequent wax buildup and one way I know she needs a trip to the audiologist is her voice gets lower and the TV get LOUDER!after the audiologist cleans out the wax plugs, the volumes in our house normalize, until next time.

Gosh youd think the doc would have checked this? i doubt someone could keep an act up like this for long and with everyone?

Linda,
Thank you for your question. My Dad seems similar in that this has been coming on for some time, but has gotten much worse recently. We suspect that he had a TIA a few weeks ago so Blannie's answer is particularly helpful. If I learn anything that helps my Father, I will let you know. Please post anything that you learn.

Take care

My Father was talking very loudly to me after I tried to clean his ears in the shower. I asked him not to be so loud. Then, being a wise guy, he started this whisper type of speech "I can't hear you". He has weird ear canals and make a lot of wax which has been an ongoing process at the doctor of keeping his ears cleaned by syringing water in there to wash out the wax. I used the same method I use for myself, not too hard of water pressure. He just hates any ear cleaning. I don't think this is what is happening to your father, but maybe. Sort of an over response to being asked not to shout. Good Luck.

Depression anxiety affects my father as well also he puts a show on for sympathy how ever when some one else is with me all of a sudden he is fine ! Also his voice is affected by his inhalers which he takes for copd, keeps focusing on all the negative things and never any thing positive who his part of depression and anxiety. Got him on anti depression pills at the mo so fingers crossed,

If the patient has CHF or COPD, they will breathe in a shallow pattern, and the voice gets weaker. Check the breathing pattern and listen to the lungs. When mom's voice gets weak, we suspect fluid buildup in or around the lungs. If something is amiss, call the MD.

As an elder and I hate to admit it at 75 all kinds of health issues seem to have reared their ugly heads. I recently sought treatment for swallowing difficulty (Dysphagia) and had an endoscopy which showed an inflamation and small hiatus hernia. Another Dr told me I had very weak muscles and an MRI showed very severe OA and a deformed spine
I was aked if my voice had changed and I replied it had become lower and it was difficult to speak for long periods for instance on the phone with my children.
I also have pregressive weakness fatique and the need to sleep a lot more during the day. All this with a long standing valvular heart disease and recent diagnosis of asthma which was a total surprise.
I have been fortunate in that I was able to recieve good care and had a husband advocating for me. My investigations are ongoing so who knows what else they will come up with.
My point is that these kinds of things are often ignored in the elderly and I am unco-operative enough to refuse certain proceedures and have a nursing background and no cognitive difficulties.
I can still live independently with my husband and will be perfectly willing to accept help as and when I need it and certainly won't fight giving up driving.
How many people are that fortunate? I see myself as a patient and a caregiver as my husband does not seem able to keep up with things like bill paying and remembering appointments.

I did not post this question but thank you, thank you for the replies. My mother has Alzheimers, had a TIA 18 months ago and we have barely been able to hear her since then. She was in assisted living and more recently a SNF but no one addressed the lack of verbal communication we are dealing with and we had no idea why the sudden change.

My dad does this also. I'm told it happens with Parkinson's. Sometimes I have to put my ear closer to him to hear him and that's barely hear him.

E-ray = X-ray

One possible cause is bronchial carcinoma where the tumour inhibits the laryngeal nerve, paralysing the vocal cord on that side.

Any whisper voice that has not resolved in three weeks gives rise to a high level of suspicion that a neoplasm is involved and must be rigorously investigated. STAT!

Examination of the vocal cords will not assist a diagnosis of cancer. E-ray, MRI, etc, are required.

In such cases, injecting Teflon will stiffed the affected cord and let the non-flaccid cord work against it, thus giving a better level of vocal production.

I am more than a little surprise that your dad's physician has not already but procedures for a differential diagnosis in hand by now. Provoke him or her to action.

Part of the aging process is a thinning of the vocal folds, which can cause a softer or higher-pitched voice. If this change in your father was gradual, that would be a likely reason. If it was a sudden change, then you might want to consider what blannie (comment above) suggested: get an ENT expert to look at the vocal cords. Paralysis or paresis of the vocal cords can cause a thin, whispery voice along with some difficulty in swallowing. A good ENT could identify this condition and suggest a possible way to improve your dad's voice.

Is it possible your dad has had a stroke or a mini-stroke (TIA)? After my dad's stroke, his voice was more of a whisper because one of his vocal chords was paralyzed. We had a simple procedure by an ENT (Ear/Nose/Throat doc) that put a piece of plastic in there, so that he could talk better and not aspirate his food (take it into his lungs instead of it going down his esophagus). That's one possibility.

My dad does the samething but only when I leave him alone for over 48 hour period. I always think he is looking for simpathy, saying "look at me, poor me, all alone !" He tend to perk right up the next day. Love to hear what others have to say. I think it has to be part of depression.