Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders
More than 1.5 million Americans are living with Parkinson’s disease*
Parkinson’s disease (PD), a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, impacts motor skills, speech and cognition, including the ability to understand, recall and express information. Often characterized by the presence of tremors, PD may present a wide range of challenges including:
- Limb rigidity or stiffness
- Posture and balance problems
- Slowed movement
- Fatigue
- Speech/swallowing impairments
- Mood swings
- Memory loss
- Difficulty writing
Our Parkinson’s disease management program is beneficial to all stages of progression, from new diagnosis to many years post. Our therapists use the highly specialized Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) in order to improve physical function, speech production and voicing. LSVT LOUD is a four-week intensive speech therapy program that includes daily homework practice and carryover exercises. LSVT BIG, along with physical therapy, is used to treat the physical movement aspects of Parkinson’s disease. Our treatment goals are designed to help you manage Parkinson’s disease with a life-long carryover of improved communication and motor movement when walking and completing daily tasks.
What our comprehensive programs mean for you
Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation – Outpatient Therapy offers a scope of services to help people with PD and other neurologic conditions:
- Improve or maintain function
- Increase vocal strength, loudness and clarity
- Maximize overall health and quality of life
Our highly specialized programs include:
- Parkinson Wellness Recovery (PWR!). Large amplitude, high effort exercises are performed in multiple postures such as standing, sitting and on the floor to help slow disease progression, improve symptoms and restore function. Patients will be given a daily home exercise program to maintain abilities gained during in-center care.
- SPEAK OUT!® concentrates on speaking with intent and transforming speech from an automatic function to a purposeful act.
- LOUD Crowd® provides ongoing education, support and encouragement through weekly group sessions. Participants enjoy socialization while working to maintain the skills developed through the SPEAK OUT! Program.
- LSVT BIG™ improves the amplitude or “bigness” of limb and body movement to provide a stronger, more efficient gait, better balance and flexibility. A range of daily living activities, from getting up from furniture to buttoning a shirt, are also practiced to maintain independence.
- LSVT LOUD™ focuses on increasing vocal loudness to develop better pitch, clarity, voice quality, volume, facial expression and swallowing. It also improves communication and saliva management while speaking.
The SPEAK OUT! & LOUD CROWD® regimens were developed by the Parkinson Voice Project.
Our physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists provide specialized and individualized care to help you live your best life.
*American Association of Neurological Surgeons
The Patient Experience
What is SPEAK OUT! & LOUD CROWD®?
We are proud to partner with the Parkinson Voice Project, developers of the SPEAK OUT! & LOUD CROWD® therapy regimens. The SPEAK OUT! program typically consists of 12 speech therapy sessions and daily home practice. Together, the patient and speech-language pathologist (SLP) complete speech, voice and cognitive exercises using a specialized Parkinson Voice Project workbook. SPEAK OUT! emphasizes speaking with intent and converts speech from an automatic function to an intentional act. Upon graduation from SPEAK OUT!, patients usually transition to the LOUD Crowd.
LOUD Crowd is the group therapy portion of the program. These sessions provide skills maintenance and are a source of fellowship for participants. To learn more about SPEAK OUT! & LOUD CROWD® therapy and the Parkinson Voice Project, we encourage you to visit its website at https://www.parkinsonvoiceproject.org/.