Is There Concern for Elderly Losing Some Speech Ability?

QUESTION: My great-grandmother seems to be losing some of her ability to
speak as clearly as she used to do. I've noticed the same thing has happened
to some of the people she lives with so I wasn't too worried at first. Is
this something I should be concerned with?
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ANSWER: Yes, concern is warranted. Sometimes even subtle changes in speech
can be a clue to disease even before other signs are apparent. Elderly people
who retain their young sounding voices are generally in better overall health
than most of their contemporaries whose voices change.
When the change is in articulation (from "articulate", to speak clearly),
it could be due to neurological changes. Damage to different parts of the
nervous system can affect different functions in speech. For example, a
severe articulation problem can be caused by damage or degeneration of the
fifth cranial nerve. That's because when that nerve is unhealthy, it hinders
a person's ability to move his or her jaw up and down. You should make sure
your great-grandmother checks her problem out with a neurologist who has
expertise in speech pathology.
You may observe the physician will listen attentively when your
great-grandmother speaks, for the manner in which she talks, the tone and
quality of her voice, are all important clues which can lead to the diagnosis
of the exact cause. Once the cause is known, there are a number of possible
treatments which can be used to correct the problem.