Have Parkinson’s? We can help you find your voice.

St. Joseph’s/Candler offers two speech therapy treatment programs designed to help Parkinson’s patients suffering from speech deficiencies

If you have Parkinson’s disease, there may come a point where you feel like you are losing your voice. Or, maybe you are already experiencing a softer, weaker tone.

Because Parkinson’s is a progressive, neuro-degenerative disorder, one of the areas affected is speech. Similar to how other muscles weaken due to Parkinson’s, your voice muscles can weaken too.

Additionally, your respiratory support can be reduced, which means your air flow to make the vocal cords work and be louder and project, gets a little lighter.

“Unfortunately, this is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s,” says Amanda Kidd, speech language pathologist for St. Joseph’s/Candler’s outpatient speech therapy. “We see it pretty often.”

While there’s not a cure for Parkinson’s, we can help you manage your symptoms, including learning to find your voice again.

At St. Joseph’s/Candler, we have two speech therapy treatment programs designed to help Parkinson’s patients suffering with speech issues. Both are offered through outpatient speech therapy, which is located at the Center of Oto-Neurology office in Plaza B on the St. Joseph’s Hospital campus. Additionally, some of our speech therapists in inpatient rehabilitation are certified in these programs.

Related Article: Do I need outpatient speech therapy? 

LSVT LOUD®

One such program that has been scientifically studied for more than 25 years is called LSVT LOUD. LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, named after a woman living with Parkinson’s.

LSVT LOUD focuses on increasing vocal loudness, Kidd explains. It uses an approach called sensory calibration, which helps retrain your brain to recognize your actual speech volume.

“A lot of times individuals with Parkinson’s may not be aware that their voice is soft,” Kidd says. “In their minds, they feel their speech is normal or even too loud. LSVT LOUD is retraining them, their brain to recognize that their loud voice is their actually their new normal voice.”

To get to that point, the patient will have 16, one-on-one sessions over the course of four weeks. Each session lasts about an hour. One of the first things Kidd does is record patients speaking so they can hear themselves and possibly recognize how soft their voice has become.

Then over the course of the therapy program, she will do exercises with them to strengthen the muscles needed to speak, as well as helping them learn to recognize a normal tone. She will also give the patients exercises to do at home.

“When you have difficulty speaking and others can’t understand you, it can lead to isolation. We want them to be able to talk with family and friend using that loud voice,” Kidd says. “It’s a really cool program, and I’ve seen some really amazing results.”

Kidd is a certified LSVT LOUD provider.

SPEAK OUT!®

Kidd is also a certified SPEAK OUT! provider.

SPEAK OUT! is a newer approach to speech therapy for Parkinson’s patients. It focuses on vocal intensity and was developed by the Parkinson Voice Project.

“By trying to be intentional with your loudness, we end up seeing a stronger, clearer voice,” Kidd says.

SPEAK OUT! is 12, one-hour, one-on-one sessions over the course of four weeks. Similar to LVST LOUD, you will do exercises that strengthen your muscles and teach you speak with bold authority. Think of it as talking to someone across the room, even though they may be right in front of you.

A perk of SPEAK OUT! is the online education and support that is available once you complete the program known as the LOUD Crowd. The are exercises you can continue to do online, as well as in-person and online support groups where you can practice your speech with others who are in the LOUD Crowd.

Deciding what is right for you

Deciding which program is right for you is up to you, Kidd says. She will go over the pros of both programs, as well as provide some materials for you to review.

Some folks like the idea of the LOUD Crowd, while others do not. Some patients may have participated in another LSVT program called LSVT BIG, which is an intense physical therapy program for Parkinson’s patients.

“I believe they both result in louder voices,” Kidd says. “It’s just the method behind it to address those issues is a little different.”

We’d also like to note that these programs have been used as therapy options for other movement disorders. While there’s not as much research, other movement disorders patients have seen positive results after participating in LSVT LOUD or SPEAK OUT! You should talk to your healthcare provider about if either one – or general speech therapy – is right for you.

If you are having difficulty communicating, we hope that you would consider one of these programs through St. Joseph’s/Candler outpatient speech therapy. You will need a referral, but our office can help with that. Call 912-819-2479 for more information.

If you have Parkinson’s disease or another movement disorder, you may be interested in our Movement Disorders 2024 seminar. It will be held on Friday, April 19 at the Eckburg Auditorium at Savannah Technical College. Learn more about the seminar and register on our website.