Speech and Swallowing Therapy

Good News! Penang Parkinson Association have started a monthly Speech and Swallowing Therapy together with our usual monthly activities since Feb 2016.

BE VOCAL

BE HEARD

We welcome Ms Diong Zhi Zhi the speech therapist on board as our volunteer starting end Feb 2016.

It will be a monthly activity with assessment to all Parkinson's Disease members.

At the same time our usual rubber clay activity is still on.

5 Benefits of Speech Therapy for People with Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive movement disorder caused by the loss of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. As dopamine producing cells in the brain decline in number, people with PD experience a range of symptoms. Gait, balance, and other movement related body functions such as speech, swallowing, and digestion are affected. Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) offer skills that can help with several of the changes experienced by people with Parkinson’s.

Here are five ways that SLPs can help:

1) Speech and Voice

Research shows that approximately 90% of people with Parkinson’s will develop speech and/or voice problems1. Soft speech is a common problem; the person with PD may not even realize their voice is so quiet. Intensive, evidence-based exercise programs like Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) LOUD® can help restore the voice to normal levels.

2) Swallowing

The same structures involved in speech and voice production are also part of the swallowing mechanism. When the muscles of the aerodigestive tract become deconditioned and the vocal folds become bowed, the risk of developing aspiration pneumonia increases. SLPs assess, diagnosis, and treat swallowing disorders (dysphagia) and help improve quality of life in people with Parkinson’s.