Changing the Game for Parkinson's Care
College’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic Offering No-Fee Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease Patients
By Sarah Shebek
Parkinson’s Disease is the second-most prevalent brain disease in the U.S. But if you live in Utah, you can get specialized treatment at no cost from the comfort of your home.
Thanks to a grant from the Parkinson Voice Project, the University of Utah’s Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic is the only SPEAK OUT!® Therapy & Research Center in the state. It’s a highly effective, research-based speech therapy protocol that can improve the patient’s voice and minimize the risk of swallowing complications.
Better yet, it’s all available online. Patients who are homebound or live in rural areas can still participate as long as they have an Internet connection. Across eight one-on-one sessions, they learn exercises from the SLP Clinic’s expert practitioners and graduate students, and they continue in group sessions, called the LOUD Crowd®, on a weekly basis.
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“The therapy works just as well on Zoom as it does in person,” said Brett Myers, PhD, CCC-SLP, College of Health associate professor and clinic director. “Teletherapy is a very helpful tool, and the patients are so appreciative of it. They get better, and their families notice it.”
Hal Meyer is one of the grateful patients. A Stansbury Park native, Meyer retired from the Army in 2009 due to increasing symptoms from Parkinson’s. Although a deep brain stimulation surgery in 2016 relieved many of his muscle function difficulties, his swallowing and speaking got worse. After a visit to the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, he learned about SPEAK OUT!® and quickly signed up.
"Teletherapy is a very helpful tool, and the patients are so appreciative of it. They get better, and their families notice it."
“It’s made a big difference in my ability to speak,” he said. “The students are fantastic and very motivating to us. I’ll keep working with the LOUD Crowd as long as they keep doing the program.”
Myers helped secure the competitive grant of $280,000 from the Parkinson Voice Project, a nonprofit organization in Richardson, TX. The funds allow faculty members to travel to the Parkinson Voice Project headquarters and receive in-person training, as well as online training for faculty and graduate students.
“As part of this grant, we’re offering SPEAK OUT! therapy services at no cost to the patients,” Myers said. “Normally the sessions would cost more than $100 an hour so we’ve had quite a bit of interest.”
If you live outside of Utah, you can still access a robust library of therapy videos on the Parkinson Voice Project website. Myers has personally recorded several home practice sessions and a new video is uploaded daily.
But therapy isn’t the only goal of the grant. Myers and his team are conducting research to determine why SPEAK OUT!® is so effective, which will help them improve their services even more.
“We can always modify the therapy based on our findings,” he said. “It will all be driven by the data we collect.”
For Meyer, his consistent practice has paid off. He finds he can order more clearly at a restaurant, for example. And he can better speak up for his friends and family. Meyer facilitates a Parkinson’s Support Group in Tooele and continues to encourage group members to join the program.
“I would say that if you have Parkinson’s this is absolutely a must-do—it will improve your speaking and swallowing ability and it’s well worth the effort.”
If you or a loved one are interested in joining the waitlist to receive SPEAK OUT!® Therapy, call the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic: 801-581-3506.