Parkinson’s results in smaller and less forceful movements in many parts of the body, including the muscles required for speech. Problems that may be experienced include quiet voice, unclear pronunciation and change in the tone of voice. This advice has been written by Speech and Language Therapists working with people with Parkinson’s.

Communication in Parkinson’s

People with Parkinson’s are often asked to repeat things. This is often due to a mismatch between how loud you feel you are talking and what other people hear.  It can help to “THINK LOUD”. Increasing the volume of speech tends to help with other aspects, meaning speech is a little slower and articulation clearer.

Therapy exercise to focus on a LOUD voice:

• Say “ah………” and hold for as long as you can.
• Now try again, but THINK LOUD: “AHHH……..”
• Practice this three times.
• You should hear and feel the difference between the “ah” and LOUD “AH”.
• Now practice five to ten LOUD “AH”s in a row. You may find looking in a mirror helpful to make sure you mouth is opening wide.
• Practice this exercise two times a day, at least five days a week. Build it into your regular routine, for example before you brush your teeth.

How else can I get the most from my speech?

• Poor posture can affect breathing, which in turn can affect speech. Try to sit in a good, upright position.
• Face the listener. Avoid talking through walls!
• Speak slowly, taking regular breaths in your sentence.
• Over-articulate sounds and syllables. Emphasise the ends of words which otherwise may get lost.
• Rest when tired.
• Keep well hydrated – this helps your voice.

Other activities to help your speech.

• Write down some phrases that you say every day. Examples might be; “Would you like a cup of tea?” or “What’s on the telly?” or “Who was on the phone?”.
• Read these phrases out loud in your LOUD voice – practice them at least once a day.
• Now every time you say these phrases in your daily life – use your LOUD voice.

There are many ways to exercise your LOUD voice, for example:

• Reading out LOUD articles from a newspaper
• Repeating lyrics of a song in your LOUD voice
• Reading poetry or limericks with a LOUD voice
• Make a shopping list and read it LOUD to your partner
• Always answer the phone with a LOUD “Hello”
• Read out the instructions of recipes when cooking in your LOUD voice.

Often people find it helpful to have prompts around the home, for example on the kitchen cupboard or by the telephone to “THINK LOUD”.

For more information watch the video below made by Speech and Language Therapists.