Taking Care of Your Voice: Vocal Hygiene Tips
MAY 28, 2025Prioritize your vocal health with these practical vocal hygiene tips to improve communication and overall well-being.
Read MoreParkinson’s disease can affect many aspects of daily living. Common symptoms include a shuffling walking pattern, poor posture, decreased balance and coordination, stiff muscles, tremors, confusion, and difficulty speaking and swallowing. Medications can provide some relief of these symptoms, however, Occupational, Physical and Speech therapy can also be beneficial in preserving these important qualities of life.
Occupational Therapists (OT) help patients do the things they want and need to do with increased safety and independence. OT focuses on self-care tasks, home management, fall prevention, and making home modifications. OTs can assist someone with Parkinson’s disease dress themselves independently with use of adaptive equipment or strategies to decrease tremors and improve coordination. OTs can educate on fall prevention and energy conservation techniques during self-care and home management tasks. OTs are also experts in home modifications to increase safety at home and to allow people to stay in their homes longer.
Physical therapists (PT) help patients by improving balance, strengthening muscles, improving coordination, walking, and endurance. PTs can also provide recommendations about the safest options for a mobility aide, such as a walker or cane. In patients with Parkinson’s, PT strengthens the muscles that are weak and stretches the muscles that are tight or ridged. This improves posture, the ability to walk , and the ability to get up and down from chairs. They also work on improving balance and coordination to prevent falls. Staying active and mobile can assist in delaying the disease process.
Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) are beneficial to patients with Parkinson’s disease to enhance communication, swallowing and cognition. In Parkinson’s disease, voice changes can negatively impact how loud and clear a person’s speech sounds. SLPs can provide strategies and exercises to help a person gain control over their voice and improve communication abilities.
Additionally, people with Parkinson’s can develop Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). SLPs can evaluate swallowing safety and provide safe swallow strategies, diet modifications, and provide swallowing rehabilitation.
Lastly, Parkinson’s disease can impact cognitive abilities as the disease progresses. SLPs can teach strategies to compensate for changes in cognition and thinking.
Occupational, Physical and Speech therapy services can be provided in a hospital, outpatient clinic, rehabilitation center, skilled nursing facility or within your home. There are also many comprehensive therapy programs such as LSVT BIG, LSVT LOUD and SPEAK OUT that are beneficial in combating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and improving quality of life. These programs are provided by credentialed professions.
Neurologists and primary care physicians can direct patients to programs in the area and provide appropriate referrals. There are also many support groups, caregiver groups, and ways to get involved to join the fight against Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s Nebraska is an organization that can also provide guidance and assistance with finding programs and support throughout the community. Wherever you are a clinician, caregiver, patient or therapist, when we work together to fight Parkinson’s disease, great things can happen!
Prioritize your vocal health with these practical vocal hygiene tips to improve communication and overall well-being.
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