Parkinson's disease
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that develops gradually. In this blog, we will help you understand the LSVT Program for Parkinson’s Disease. Moreover, Persons with Parkinson’s require speech and swallowing therapy as the disease progresses.
What is Speech Tips for Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that develops over a period of time. As a result, Persons with PD experience a decreased ability to regulate body movements and everyday activities. For instance, speech and language skills. The progression of Parkinson’s Disease occurs across five stages. Further, Individuals with PD are treated for the symptoms they experience to provide maximum quality of life. In this blog, we will discuss Speech Tips for Parkinson’s Disease.
What are Parkinson's disease's early warning signs?
Motor (movement-related) symptoms such as sluggish movements, tremors, or stiffness can be precursors of Parkinson's disease. They might also be non-motor symptoms, though. Numerous potential non-motor symptoms may manifest years, if not decades, before motor symptoms. Non-motor symptoms, however, can often be hazy, making it challenging to link them to Parkinson's disease.
Non-motor symptoms such as the following could be early warning signs:
- Signs of the autonomic nervous system. These include orthostatic hypotension, which causes dizziness upon standing up, and constipation.
- A diminished sense of smell (anosmia).
- Rapid eye movement (REM) behaviour disorder, restless legs syndrome, and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) are examples of sleep disorders.
What are the Symptoms?
As the disease progresses speech and language symptoms begin to appear. For instance, it may include one or more of the following symptoms:
- Slurred Speech (Reduced clarity of speech)
- Short rushes of speech
- Difficulty in producing certain speech sounds
- Reduce volume of voice
- Hoarse or strained voice
- Monotonous speech
- Swallowing difficulties
- Drooling of saliva
- Language deficits
Risk elements
Parkinson's disease risk factors include:
- Age: Parkinson's disease rarely affects young individuals. It usually starts in middle or late life, and the risk gets higher as you get older. The disease typically strikes people at 60 or older.
- Heredity: Parkinson's disease is more likely to affect you if you have close family members who have the condition. Unless you have a large number of family members who suffer from the disease, your risks are still minimal.
- Sex: Parkinson's disease affects men more frequently than it does women.
- Toxicity exposure: Your risk of developing Parkinson's disease may somewhat rise if you are constantly exposed to pesticides and herbicides.
Parkinson's disease stages
It may take years or even decades for Parkinson's disease to have a serious impact. The Parkinson's disease staging system was developed in 1967 by two experts, Margaret Hoehn and Melvin Yahr. Because staging this ailment is less beneficial than figuring out how it affects each person individually and then treating them accordingly, this staging technique is no longer widely used.
The primary method used by healthcare professionals to categorise this illness nowadays is the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). The MDS-UPDRS looks at four main aspects of your experience with Parkinson's disease:
Part 1: Non-motor parts of regular life experiences. This section covers non-motor (non-movement) symptoms such as dementia, depression, anxiety, and other problems with mental faculties and mental health. It also asks questions about pain, constipation, incontinence, fatigue, etc.
Part 2: The motor components of everyday experiences. The consequences on tasks and abilities involving movement are covered in this section. If you experience tremors, it also covers your ability to speak, eat, chew, and swallow, as well as dress and take care of yourself in the bathroom.
Part 3: A motor analysis. The consequences of Parkinson's disease on mobility are identified in this section by a healthcare professional. The criteria take into account your speech patterns, expressions, stiffness and rigidity, pace and gait while walking, balance, speed of movement, tremors, etc.
Part 4: Problems with the motors. In this part, a healthcare professional will assess the degree to which your life is being affected by your Parkinson's disease symptoms. That covers both how long you experience particular symptoms each day and whether they have an impact on how you spend your time.
Experimentation with cures
Other potential therapies being looked into by researchers to aid with Parkinson's illness Even if they aren't generally accessible, these do provide those who have this illness hope. Several of the experimental therapy modalities are as follows:
Transplantation of stem cells. These increase the number of dopamine-using neurons in your brain, replacing the destroyed ones.
Treatments for neuron healing. These therapies aim to restore damaged neurons and promote the development of new neurons.
Gene-targeted therapy and medications. Specific mutations that cause Parkinson's disease are the focus of these therapies. Levodopa or other medications may also be enhanced by some.
Tips for better communication:
- When you want to communicate, choose a quiet environment, and talk to one person at a time.
- This is to say, choose a comfortable upright posture while you communicate.
- Use short phrases and speak slowly. For instance, stress each syllable/ word as you speak.
- Use content words to convey your message in a short phrase. Certainly, avoid longer utterances.
- On the other hand, take adequate voice breaks as you speak for longer periods.
- Additionally, always carry paper and a pen to write your message down.
What effects does this illness have on my body?
The basal ganglia, a particular region of the brain, degrade due to Parkinson's disease. You lose the powers those places formerly controlled as this area deteriorates. A significant change in your brain's chemistry is brought on by Parkinson's disease, according to research.
Neurotransmitters are substances that your brain normally utilises to regulate how brain cells (neurons) communicate with one another. One of the most significant neurotransmitters, dopamine, is deficient in people with Parkinson's disease.
Your brain uses cells that need dopamine to fine-tune your movements when it delivers the activation signals that instruct your muscles to move. Because of this, Parkinson's disease symptoms like tremors and decreased movement are brought on by a lack of dopamine.
The symptoms of Parkinson disease worsen and increase as the condition worsens. Depression and dementia-like symptoms are frequently brought on by the disease's later stages, which alter how your brain functions.
What is LSVT Program for Parkinson’s Disease?
The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) was designed by Dr. Ramig in the 1980s. Furthermore, Dr. Ramig named the program after her first patient Mrs. Silverman.
Hence, this program aims to give Persons with PD sustained improvements in their speech and voice. Additionally, the LSVT program uses research and evidence-based methods. Furthermore, it has been proven to improve the overall speech and movement skills of the Person with PD.
Who is a candidate for the LSVT Program?
LSVT Program is proven to be effective for Persons diagnosed with the Disease. Especially, the patients who experience speech and voice issues post-diagnosis of PD.
Read a detail blog on LSVT Program for Parkinson’s Disease here
Hence, here are the red flags that show you need to start the LSVT Program at the earliest.
- Monotonous voice
- Low vocal loudness
- Loss of voice
- Vocal fatigue
- Imprecise speech sounds
- Slurring of speech
What are the programs in LSVT?
Basically, there are two programs that LSVT offers.
- LSVT LOUD for Speech and Voice
- LSVT BIG for Physical Movement
In other words, LSVT LOUD will be conducted by Speech-Language Therapists. Similarly, LSVT BIG will be done by Physio Therapists and Occupational Therapists.
We are talking about the LSVT LOUD program for speech in this blog.
Speech Therapy Mobile Applications:
These are some Speech Therapy digital applications for Persons with PD. Above all, apps should be used only under the guidance of a qualified Speech-Language Therapist.
- Speech Prompts
- Loud and Clear Speech Therapy
- LSVT Global LOUD
- Speak Up for Parkinson’s
- Swallow Prompt
Prevention
There are no known causes of Parkinson's, which makes it impossible to know how to avoid it.
According to certain studies, regular aerobic exercise may lower the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
Another study indicated that those who drink caffeine, which is present in coffee, tea, and cola, are less likely to get the disease than those who don't. Parkinson's disease development risk is also associated with drinking green tea. Caffeine may help prevent the disease, however it is unclear whether this is the case or whether there is another connection. There is currently insufficient data to support the idea that consuming coffee or other caffeinated beverages can help prevent Parkinson's.
“In conclusion, it is absolutely essential to consult a Speech-Language Therapist to avail appropriate guidance.”
Need assistance in finding a Speech-Language Therapist?
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