Voice and speech difficulties folks living with Parkinson’s

Some of the voice and speech difficulties folks living with Parkinson’s may experience:

• Softened voice. Reduced volume to your voice
• Speaking in an unchanging pitch (monotone)
• Having a hoarse or strained quality to your voice
• Having a breathiness to your voice. Breathiness in the quality of your voice that is easily heard by your listeners. It takes more effort and energy to speak. You “run out of gas” as you speak.
• Trouble clearly and easily pronouncing letters and words
• Tremor in your voice
• Slurring of your speech
• Using short rushes of speech
• Loss of your facial expression

If you have Parkinson’s disease, you may not be aware of the problems with your spoken communication. Folks around you may continually ask you to “speak up” and articulate.

• Read out loud (preferably in front of a mirror) 5-10 minutes a day (at minimum)
• Try some tongue twisters 5-10 minutes a day (at minimum)

Remember: to speak slowly at a reasonable volume, articulate, and speak with intentionality. For fun, have someone ask you questions that relate to what you just said - add a little cognition challenge.

50 Tongue Twisters to improve pronunciation in English · engVid

https://www.engvid.com/wp-content/media/50-Tongue-Twisters-in-English.pdf

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Reach out to me anytime.
Yours, Coach B

Rock Steady Boxing Certified Coach
Certified Parkinson's Disease Fitness Specialist ISSA Certified Personal Trainer