By Victoria Pavelko, MS, CCC-SLP
As a caregiver for a person with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), you know things are always changing. Your spouse may have no difficulty getting dressed and then one day buttons are a struggle. Communication for people with PD can also change over time, but there are several approaches you can use to adjust and adapt to those changes.
Here are 5 tips that can help you maintain a healthy communication relationship with your loved one:
Focus: Maintaining eye contact is very important when talking and sitting down in front of someone helps greatly also. Parkinson’s can make it difficult to multi-task , making communication while executing another task even more labor some. Group conversations may be overwhelming and require more time to respond. One on one tend to be more manageable.
Keeping It Simple: Avoid long sentences and questions. It is important to use names as opposed to pronouns to make it very clear about who you are speaking to. Be very clear when changing subjects also.
Time It: Some medications and other factors can make for better and more difficult times of the day. Take this into account when visiting loved ones to arrange your schedule around their best times of the day.
Patience: Allow adequate time to respond and participate in the conversations. Avoid finishing sentences or prompting them. Parkinson’s can make finding the right words difficult and interrupting them can increase frustration and anxiety.
Use Tools: Handwriting skills may also be affected making written communication difficult. Small wearable microphones can help amplify the voice that is otherwise soft and hard to hear. Video calling technologies can help connect on a more personable level allowing each party to see the other’s face and read lips.
How Can Speech Therapy Help?
Our Speech-language Pathologists specialize in dealing with the progression of neurological diseases. They use a wide range of exercises, drills, and strategies to increase voice volume, promote word retrieval, improve memory, increase facial expressions and emotion, and improve conversational skills. With improved communication also comes improved confidence, independence and quality of life. Get support and help for yourself and your loved one! Call and schedule an appointment today.