6 tips on how to help people with Parkinson's disease with speech disorder

Parkinsonian patients often show difficulty in speaking. This is caused by their inability to adequately coordinate the muscles used during breathing, sound emission and swallowing, which causes various problems such as weakening of voice volume (which becomes monotonous and fades as one speaks), inability to pronounce words clearly (especially final syllables), and the appearance of hesitations and repetitions.

However, it is possible to overcome these difficulties with the help of friends and relatives. Here are some tricks recommended by the Experts from the Italian Parkinsonian Association. and from the Grisons Foundation for the Parkinson's disease.

Here are the 6 tips on how to help people with Parkinson's disease afflicted with speech disorder

Look into his eyes While the patient is talking give them your full attention, sit facing them so you can better observe the movement of their lips to facilitate understanding.
Quietly In case the patient has problems or hesitates to speak, do not interrupt him, when he speaks give him as much time as necessary.
Spur them on Encourage them to speak in a higher tone of voice, as if you were in another room, and to use simpler language consisting of short periods, almost telegraphic. If they show any difficulty, ask them to rephrase: choosing different words might make the message more understandable. You can also ask him to scan the sentence word for word, repeating it after him.
Let them know that you are understanding When a parkinsonian patient nods or says “yes” to let him know that you are understanding what he is saying. Similarly in case you are not clear on what he is saying, tell him you can help him by repeating what you understood and asking him to go on from there.
Using writing as an aid in language In case the patient has no problems in writing, one can ask to use pen and paper to help during communication. If, on the other hand, the patient's handwriting has become unreadable due to Parkinson's disease, alternative methods can be used, such as using a tablet.
Consider consulting a professional To help the patient more, it is a good idea to plan a targeted, individualized treatment with the help of a professional speech therapist who can better assess the patient's difficulties