Track Your Voice

Congratulations! You are off to a flying start!

Once you have restored your voice, you will need to participate actively in a maintenance program to retain your skills. Parkinson’s is progressive and degenerative, so daily speech exercises and follow-up sessions are important for assuring your progress.

Every six weeks (or as needed), we will track your progress to determine if your newly acquired skills are maintained.

This involves a session where we’ll use data to determine how well you’re preserving your new voice and using the tools and strategies you’ve learned when communicating.

Practice, practice, practice!

And we will repeat it (and again): Practice, practice, practice!

Practice is what will keep your voice strong!

Because of the degenerative nature of Parkinson’s Disease, your automatic motor system isn’t working properly. Dopamine specifically controls transmitting impulses that control involuntary movements. Since Parkinson’s reduces Dopamine, it becomes difficult to produce automatic movements such as walking and talking. The decline of Dopamine production in your brain can also contribute to a lack of motivation. We will discuss this and provide an intensive plan to “fight back” against this evil thief that robs you of movement.

Because you are now “in the know,” you will have tools and strategies to help you overcome difficulties with lack of Dopamine production!

Consistent and daily practice is what will keep your voice strong!

During your follow-up sessions…

We will obtain new data on your voice and compare it to the data we had during your last therapy session. We will check to be certain you continue practicing all your exercises correctly. We’ll also assess whether you are meeting your goals and determine appropriate next steps.

Here are some of the questions we’ll ask…

Can you tell me about your daily home practice?

How are you doing with your routine?

Are you attending weekly speech groups?

How has your newly acquired voice affected your life?

Are you having difficulty in any specific areas?

Do you notice any changes in your voice or speech since therapy ended?

What family or caregiver supports do you have in place?

Have you seen your doctor, and did they notice any improvement in your speaking ability?

Are you struggling in any way with maintaining your voice?

Are you participating in any groups where you can communicate common interests?

Are you consistently participating in a Training Camp (feel free to view my page on this)?

What are your long-term goals for your voice and speech?