Truman State University receives grant to enhance Parkinson’s speech therapy

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — The Parkinson Voice Project awarded the Truman State University Speech and Hearing Clinic 2024 SPEAK OUT! Clinical Education Grant.

Truman Professor of Communication Disorders Dr. Julia Edgar says the grant provides education to help clients affected by Parkinson’s disease.

“They found out some new things in terms of service delivery post-COVID, and they modified a little bit of the approach and so we were able to train three faculty, and any graduate student who wants to undergo the training can also do that, and so if all of our graduate students wanted to undergo the training, they could absolutely, no cost,” Edgar said.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

The disease does not currently have a cure and continues to progress over time.

Parkinson’s can also cause speech and voice problems in over 90% of people with the disease.

“They will become very soft-spoken and sometimes the rate of speech is very fast,” Edgar said. “They may sound more monotone, and it’s very difficult to hear and understand them.”

The therapy participants learn helps teach different exercises that people with Parkinson’s can use to learn the skills they need to articulate their words and speak more clearly.

“It just happens that by giving a simple cue, a lot of other things happen,” Edgar said. “If I want to speak with intent, I’m probably going to slow down. I’m probably going to be a little bit louder. I’m probably going to articulate a little more precisely.”

Truman’s Speech and Hearing Clinic will be working with Northeast Regional Medical Center to provide a structured evaluation to determine if individuals are a good match for the treatment program.

Treatment requires eight to 12 sessions spread over four to six weeks, along with daily practice sessions.

Edgar says, that in her experience, the program has been highly successful, helping clients to live normal lives.

“[It helps] people communicate with their family members,” Edgar said. “It’s for some people with Parkinson’s, they’re often still working and so it helps them at work and helps them on their job, or if they’re doing volunteer work, it just helps them communicate better and it’s a really effective program.”

For anyone interested in learning more about the therapy, you can call Dr. Julia Edgar at 660-785-4255.