Communication in Parkinson's
Top tips for communication:
- Reduce background noise. Don’t try to compete with the radio, TV, music or too many other people – you won’t win!
- Make eye contact before starting to speak. If you are looking down at the washing up and your listener is looking into a cupboard, it is no wonder you don’t hear each other! Never talk between rooms.
- Chin up, shoulders back. To make sure your voice carries up and out rather than down.
- Take a good breath. No air means no power. The more air you have in your lungs, the louder the voice and the better it will carry.
- Think LOUD. You may feel as if you are making the effort of a shout and that you are being disrespectful to your listener but they are more likely to hear you if you turn your volume up.
- Top up with air. Once you have used up all your air for a sentence, you need to breathe in again before the next sentence. If you just keep talking, the air has all gone and you are left muttering with no sound. Talk. Pause. Breathe in. Talk.
- Speak – more – slowly. Parkinson’s can make your speech run away with you and get faster and faster as your air runs out and you try to finish your sentence. Pace your speech. Enunciate your words. Slower talking means that your pauses are proportionately longer so you have time to breathe. Slower words mean that your listener has time to pay attention to what you have said.
- Practise – clear – loud – steady – speech. Read aloud; play ‘just a minute’; recite poetry; talk to the budgie etc. If you practise how good speech sounds and feels, you are more likely to remember the strategies when actually in conversation.
- Smile! Facial muscles are less agile so you tend to have less natural expression. Think about how you look as well as how you sound.
- And finally If you talk less, other people tend to talk more. Perhaps share these tips with friends and family so they understand the effort you are making. Ask them to allow you to take your turn... you are worth waiting for!
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and Language therapists work with adults and their families/carer to help with speech and swallowing difficulties. You can refer yourself or a family member direct to their service for support with communication difficulties. However, referrals related to swallowing must come from a registered professional or GP.
Key information about the service can be found here:
Information provided by Speech & Language Therapy Service (Community Adults) - Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
