Treatment Helps Parkinson's Patients Talk Clearly

Reported by: Mary King
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008 @01:03pm EST

HAGERSTOWN - A new treatment in Washington County aims to break down the communication barrier for Parkinson's disease patients.

Carolyn Reed was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease ten years ago, but it wasn’t until recently that her illness made talking a challenge.

"I could hear them but they couldn't hear me," she said.

Pathologists say it's is common obstacle for Parkinson’s patients. It's called - disarthrea. A patient's speech can become softer and harder to understand.

Speech language pathologist Kymberli Dixon says, "It's difficult for them to be able to gage the amount of loudness or effort that's required for them to be understood at a normal conversational level."

The hardest part for Carolyn Reed was that no one, not even her husband, could understand her, but when she came here to total rehab care all of that changed.

"You're talking about one month of treating a patient and seeing a life change in 4 weeks," Dixon said.

The results were achieved using the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, a therapy that has been around for years but remains hard to find because therapists must be certified.

Carolyn was the guinea pig at Washington County Hospital. Therapists used a sound pressure level meter to gauge how loud Carolyn was talking and progressively brought her voice back.

Carolyn's daughter, Alys Dahbura, said, "I don't have to ask her as often to speak up or repeat herself."

Two other patients have completed the program in Washington County. They're back to doing things they never thought they'd do again. For Carolyn, that includes reading to her granddaughter

Carolyn's also using her new found voice to spread the news about the treatment.