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Parkinson's, speech therapy & self helpUnderstanding Parkinson's diseaseHaving difficulty in both speaking and swallowing are just two of the debilitating symptoms which are brought on by Parkinson's disease, however they are two symptoms which if the patients attends speech therapy can be helped greatly. Over the last few years advancements in this area of the disease have come forth and a new programme has been developed with the aim of helping those with Dysarthria, which is difficulty in speaking and Dysphagia which is difficulty in swallowing. The new programme, The Lee Silverman voice therapy programme can now provide significant help for those with these two symptoms of Parkinson's, besides attending therapy there are also several ways in which you can help yourself. Tips for improving communications skills Many sufferers of Parkinson's find that the muscles in their voice box will weaken as the disease advances, when this happens they will have problems communicating finding it difficult to pronounce words correctly. Here are some tips to help those suffering enhance their communication skills * Try not to talk over any background noise such as the television or radio. * Don't rush when trying to speak, speak as slowly as you need to. * Makes sure you talk in a room which is well lit so the person can see your face. * Only use short phrases instead of long sentences. * Make sure you rest before having long conversations, for example if you know you will be taking a long phone call or that you have friends coming over. * Consider using an amplifier for your voice. If people have difficulty understanding you then there are several things you could do to help improve the situation and make life easier on yourself and those around you. * If you can write easily then have a notebook and pen handy and write down the things you are having difficulty in saying. * If you cannot write easily then consider getting a white board and letters of the alphabet so that you can spell out words. * Establish a topic before beginning a conversation. * Use telegraphic speech and leave out any unnecessary words from the topic of conversation. Think about using an assistive device There are some devices which can greatly improve your communication skills, these are called assistive devices. * A palatal lift - this is a piece of dental apparatus which is very similar to a retainer or brace, it works by lifting the soft palate which then stops the air from escaping out of the nose during speech. * Amplification - the amplifier can help to reduce voice fatigue and also increase the level of the voice for those who are softly spoken. * TTY telephone relay system - this is a specially adapted telephone which will allow the user to type what needs to be said and this in turn in relayed through and operator to the recipient. * High tech electronic speech enhancers - these are usually computer aided devices with voice synthesizes in them. |
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