“I’m too busy.” “I’m too tired.” “I have too much company.” “I have too many doctor’s appointments.”
These are just a few of the “too’s” I hear from my PD patients when I ask: “Did you practice your speech this week?” Some of these excuses sound familiar — they’re the same ones many of us reach for when we skip our own workouts. But for a person with Parkinson’s, skipping the home exercises prescribed by a speech or physical therapist isn’t just a missed workout. It can mean the difference between safe, optimal functioning and an increased risk of falls, swallowing problems, or further speech decline.
Look at the research on exercise adherence in the general population, and the picture isn’t encouraging: nearly two-thirds of adults set fitness goals as part of a New Year’s resolution, yet the majority abandon them before reaching their goal. Time and difficulty sticking with a program are consistently cited as the top reasons people give up. Motivation, planning, and social support are the antidote.
What’s true for the general population is true — often more urgently — for people with PD. That’s why, since founding Voice Aerobics®, I’ve offered and promoted home- and community-based programs as adjuncts to outpatient speech therapy. Practice can’t end when therapy does.
Here are a few things that may help you hold onto the gains you made in speech therapy — and stay motivated to keep practicing.
- Join a weekly speech class, such as Voice Aerobics®, SPEAK OUT!®, LOUD for Life, or a similar guided program. A weekly class reinforces the principles you learned in treatment and gives you a built-in community for peer support and motivation. Many are now offered online, so there’s no drive required.
- Use a home-based guided program. Just like my Total Gym came with an instructional DVD, you may do best with an app or download that walks you through practice without asking you to remember every instruction. Voice Aerobics® is available to rent or download to your computer or tablet. LSVT® Homework Helper and the Speak Up for Parkinson’s app are also solid choices you can use without leaving home — Speak Up is one of my favorites for its real-time audio and visual feedback. I’m also currently piloting my own app, Speak Strong, built around this same idea of guided, no-memorization-required practice.
- Enlist a practice partner. If you’re part of a local Parkinson’s support group, ask around — there’s often someone else looking for a weekly practice buddy for speech and voice work.
- Consider online coaching. Voice Aerobics offers speech therapy via telehealth and online coaching, and a free coaching session comes with any Voice Aerobics product purchase. Visit our private practice page to learn more.
Are Vision Problems Making It Hard for You to Practice?
I occasionally work with a patient whose vision makes reading material for speech practice nearly impossible. Hi-VOLT® 4 PD is an audio program available through our streaming partners, designed to be used alongside the Hi-VOLT® voice-on-light bracelet — a calibrated, voice-activated light that gives you immediate, concurrent feedback as you speak. The loudness needed to activate the light is greater than your everyday conversational volume, so practicing with it helps you feel — not just hear — the vocal effort required to stay loud enough to be understood.
You might also enjoy Voice Aerobics Songbirds©, speech sounds set in music. Another fun way to practice, and may be helpful for individuals recovering speech from stroke or Lewy Body where cognitive problems make independent speech practice challenging. For convenience, these programs and the 15 minute Breathwork® video have been bundled in the Voice Aerobics Travel Pack, small enough to fit in your pocket or purse and go where you go.
Three programs in one convenient package: Songbirds©, Hi-VOLT® 4PD©, and the Breathwork bonus video. Perfect for travel, for caregivers setting up a home program, or for anyone who wants a complete toolkit at an accessible price.
So grab your headphones and your tablet or computer, and get started. There’s nothing to remember and no charts to keep — just SPEAK UP and SEE THE LIGHT! Hi-VOLT, like every Voice Aerobics® product, was designed to be affordable, portable, and fun.
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