Why Parkinson’s Awareness Month Still Matters
Every April, I ask my patients the same question: “Why should we care?” This year, that question feels more urgent than ever. With ongoing changes to research funding, therapy reimbursement policies, and the rising cost of medications, people living with Parkinson’s and their carepartners have plenty of worries. And yet — awareness still matters. Because the more people know, the more they advocate, the more they give, the more they push for funding for research and better care.
So, this Parkinson’s Awareness Month, what do YOU want people to know? Drop your answer in the comments.
Gretchen Church, a PWP and an author, along with her husband Michael, who also has a PD diagnosis,said recently on her Facebook page: “everyday is Parkinson’s awareness.” When I ask my own patiennts and their spouses, they often echo the same sentiment.
The motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s are with people everyday, and the variablity of the impact on any given symptom from to day or on any given day, can be one of the most disabling features. It is tiring for PWP and their families to orchestrate their days on medication regimens, unexpected symptoms, extreme fatigue, and faltering communication, which further impact engagement with others and quality of life.
How Common Are Speech Problems in Parkinson’s?
Between 70–90% of people with Parkinson’s experience changes in their speech and voice — a condition known as hypokinetic dysarthria. The most common signs include reduced loudness, loss of vocal effort, and a mismatch between how loud someone thinks they sound and how loud they actually are.
This mismatch happens because Parkinson’s affects the brain’s internal cueing system, especially in the basal ganglia. Many people will insist their quiet voice is “loud enough” — or that speaking at a normal volume feels like shouting.
The good news: speech often responds well to external feedback and cueing. When patients learn to “think loud” or use a visual feedback device, many show meaningful improvements. The challenge is maintaining that improvement at home and in daily life — where the cues are gone.
A patient says: “I want people to know I have difficulty speaking. I’m not dumb.”
Speech Therapy: What Can It Do?
Speech therapy for Parkinson’s focuses on retraining the motor speech system, often using high-effort vocal exercises. Think of it like weight training for the larynx and breathing muscles — loading the muscles with resistance builds strength, repetition and redundancy take advantage of neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to use stronger networks when others are failing, and the right practice or exercises (specificity) related to the outcome you seek, should be a component of therapy you enroll in and after-therapy home practice.
There are several behavioral interventions for treating speech and voice problems associated with Parkinson’s disease and include LSVT LOUD and Speak OUT! There are also wearable device interventions such as Speech Vive, and essential to any approach you elect to use, it should include High-effort vocal tasks, to build vocal strength and endurance. When guided by a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP), all of these approached are designed to:
- Strengthen vocal fold function
- Improve breath support for speech
- Help recalibrate internal loudness perception
- Improve initiation, phrasing, and clarity
- Improve cognitive-linguistic difficulties that you may be experiencing such as word retrieval
But, just as no two people respond to medication exactly the same way, nor do they respond to therapy interventions the same way. As Sir William Osler observed, “variability is the law of life.” Your uniqueness matters in your treatment plan. There is no one size fits all approach when treating the complex speech, voice and swallowing problems that individuals with Parkinson’s are often faced with.
Voice Aerobics® Family of Products: Before, During, and After Therapy
Voice Aerobics®, created in 1999, was the original whole-body program developed for people with Parkinson’s — combining voice practice with movement was it’s novel approach. At the time it was created, there was nothing available for patients once they completed a course of speech therapy, so people weren’t sure how to practice on their own, and I wanted to change that.
I began creating audio tapes for home practice, and eventually launched a weekly Voice Aerobics® class in Florida. In 2008, due to overwhelming requests from class participants, the class was recorded on DVD for distribution. While it is no longer available as a DVD, the program has kept up with the times — and is still available as a download to your computer or tablet, or as a short-term rental.
Throughout the 57-minute program, you are guided to focus on three things: Posture, Breathing, and Voice. All movements can be done seated or standing, making it accessible for all levels. You can download Part 1: Breathwork on its own, or the entire program.
From a Voice Aerobics® Participant: “Mary, I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciated your class on Voice Aerobics. My speech and volume is a problem. I can see an improvement already.”
— Online Voice Aerobics® class participant, Parkinson Society British Columbia March 2026
A Personal Note from Mary
“Over the last 20 years, whenever I complete Part 1, Breathwork, I am always relaxed, mindful of my body and breathing, and present in the moment. Why not try it? I guarantee you will feel better afterward.”
For Carepartners
If your loved one’s voice has become softer, harder to understand, or if they’ve stopped speaking as much — those are signs worth talking to a speech-language pathologist about. Speech and cognitive changes in Parkinson’s are not “just aging.” Many symptoms are treatable. Your encouragement and patience are powerful tools too.
Take Action This Awareness Month
Here’s how you can make a difference right now:
- Share this post with someone who loves or supports a person with Parkinson’s
- Leave a comment: What do YOU want people to know?
- Ask your neurologist or care team for a speech therapy referral if you’ve noticed voice changes
- Try the Voice Aerobics® program at home — Part 1: Breathwork is a great place to start and is available on the full class version video download, or on the Voice Aerobics Travel Pack, a usb stick with the Breathwork video along with two other guided programs.
Visit voiceaerobicsdvd.com to explore the full family of Voice Aerobics® products and resources or requests a complimentary virtual class for your Parkinson’s support group.
My Mission: To enlist individuals in their treatment, and help them express their personality & spirit through voice. To educate and empower. Mary Spremulli, MA, CCC-SLP * FiTOUR® Group Exercise Instructor * Certified End of Life Specialist (CEOLS) * Voice Aerobics® A Whole Body Approach to Voice Practice