Parkinson's Disease Treatment and Speech Therapy
If you have Parkinson's disease you might be wondering what treatment options there are to help you live your best life. My advice is to think about creating a team to help you get the most. This can involve physical therapists (PT), occupational therapists (OT), and Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP).
We believe EVERYONE with Parkinson's should get speech therapy. That might mean just a few sessions to show you how to do exercises, or ongoing therapy to improve your speech or swallow function. Since Parkinson's is progressive and degenerative, daily practice and maintenance is so important!
At our private practice we specialize in working with adults and we use two proven methods for people with Parkinson's including LSVT LOUD and SPEAK OUT! You can find out more about these treatment methods at their websites here https://www.lsvtglobal.com/LSVTLOUD and here https://www.parkinsonvoiceproject.org/OurSpeechTherapyProgram .
LSVT LOUD is an intensive, one-on-one treatment delivered over one month’s time. Research shows LVST LOUD results in improvements in vocal loudness, intonation, and voice quality for individuals. This program is 16 sessions, 4 times a week, 60 minutes each.
SPEAK OUT! is a flexible program delivered over one month's time that is focused on using INTENT when speaking. This program is also backed by research and includes 12 sessions, 3 times a week, 45 minutes each.
In addition to your communication, we almost always target swallowing skills as well. This is because it is important to do preventative exercises that will keep you healthy and swallowing safely. We can also train you on strategies to help make eating and drinking easier. We will also incorporate exercises to improve and maintain your cough function- which is vital for protecting your airway and maintaining respiratory health!
For more information, download our free resource guide!
How do you start with us?
First, call us at 714-251-6356 and one of our certified Speech Language Pathologists will conduct an evaluation to determine if which program is appropriate. Once we complete our evaluation, we will schedule your sessions and get to work! We accept MEDICARE! So there is no reason not to get started!