Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders
We address anything classified under the Parkinson’s umbrella, such as “atypical or abnormal Parkinson’s,” “Parkinsonism,” PSP, MSA, etc. We treat all other rare movement disorders, such as Huntington’s Chorea.
What can you help me with?
We help our patients understand the meaning of their specific diagnosis, or their pending or working diagnosis, and then get to work on fighting the symptoms. During evaluation, we determine which of the following needs are present, and which ones are most concerning or important to you.
- Decreased loudness
- Other possible or suspect vocal factors that worsen voice symptoms
- Slurred speech sounds
- Rapid speech rate
- Masked facial expression
- Monotone voice
- Drooling and excess saliva
- Coughing/choking on food/water
- Jaw joint pain/issues (TMJ)
- Difficulty picking things up or getting food/water to mouth
- Thinking & memory difficulty
- Illegible handwriting
- Word-finding difficulty
- Stuttering
- Sleep Disturbances (such as insomnia or sleep apnea)
- Orthostatic hypotension (sudden change in blood pressure upon standing/sitting)
- Rigidity (a neurological symptom resulting in tight muscles)
- Bradykinesia (a neurological symptom resulting in slowed movement)
We also provide education and training for the following:
- “Off & dyskinesia tracking” (directly relates to achieving proper medication dosage)
- Parkinson’s dementia
- Sleep factors and sleep hygiene
- Overall health factors
- Types of exercises (for self-planning of individualized routine)
Your experience with movement disorder is unique. Shouldn’t your treatment be?
We respond to your unique symptoms, their severity, and your lifestyle. We assess your responsiveness to techniques and then prescribe exercises that are most effective for you.
Parkinson’s doesn’t just go away…but neither does Speech Solutions!
Those with a movement disorder realize that they are in it for the “long haul.” We realize this too, and will stay with you through it all. As your symptoms evolve, so will our approach. While there is no current cure for Parkinson’s, please know that we can fight the progression of the symptoms with simple but powerful exercises. We will help you understand available medical interventions and how to keep functioning long term. There is hope. It’s all about quality of life…and there is life to be lived!
We’ve got great tricks up our sleeves.
Speech Solutions is on the front lines of treating and developing effective strategies for managing symptoms related to movement disorders. We apply the best known practices in innovative ways. Not only do we follow all current Parkinson’s research, but we engage in our own in-house research to address areas not currently covered in formal literature. For instance, we have documented the efficacy of applying neuromuscular electrical stimulation to combat progressive swallow disorder, a technique previously researched primarily for stroke patients. We have developed our own assessment processes for swallowing disorder in Parkinson’s, and it has proven valid for Parkinson’s that responds to medication. However, for atypical Parkinson’s, we now understand that instrumental swallow evaluations are the most valid form of assessment. Whereas LSVT treatment is appropriate for every Parkinson’s patient, it only addresses decreasing volume in voice. What about decreased movement of the articulators leading to slurring? By exaggerating articulation well beyond “normal” movements for those who exhibit this symptom, we are able to increase outcomes for a greater number of patients than administering LSVT alone accomplishes.
We want to inspire hope.
The goal of therapy isn’t to treat the Parkinson’s, but to treat the individual. In addition to addressing your symptoms, we enjoy getting to know all about you, providing practical tips and counsel…and sometimes just listening or laughing together.