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Speech Therapy for Parkinson's Disease
- Chloe Hill
- Jul 10, 2023
- 1 min read
Did you know that up to 90% of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are at risk of developing a weak voice that can lead to speech and swallowing challenges?
While everyone's symptoms are different, here are a few possible changes you may notice in your voice with PD:
Low volume
Trailing off at the end of sentences
Speech that is difficult to understand
Weak voice
Hoarse-sounding voice
Clearing throat
Inconsistent vocal quality
Some changes in swallowing include:
Drooling
Coughing during or soon after drinking
Wet/gurgly vocal quality when eating or drinking
The sensation of food or pills "getting stuck"
Unexplained weight loss
Why do we notice these changes? Parkinson's disease is characterized by a deficiency in the production of dopamine. Dopamine impacts our automatic movements, which include speech and swallowing.
How can speech therapy help? Speech therapy can focus on providing exercises to improve volume, vocal quality, and swallowing. The SPEAK OUT! voice program from Parkinson Voice Project teaches individuals with Parkinson's how to convert speech from an automatic function to an intentional act.
Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and noticed changes in speech or swallowing? Contact us to schedule a FREE consultation to see if speech therapy is right for you.
Phone: (951) 221-0367
Email: info@clockworkspeechtherapy.com
My wife was diagnosed of Parkinson’s Disease at age 61. She had severe calf pain, muscle pain, tremors, slurred speech, frequent falls, loss of balance, difficulty in getting up from sitting position. She was put on Senemet for 6 months and then Siferol was introduced and replaced the Senemet. During this time span she was also diagnosed with dementia. She started having hallucinations and lost touch with reality. Last year, our family doctor started her on Uine Health Centre PD-5 formula, 2 months into treatment she improved dramatically. At the end of the full treatment course, the disease is totally under control. No case of dementia, hallucination, weakness, muscle pain or tremors. My wife is strong again and has gone…