Parkinson Voice Project

Purpose:One in one hundred adults over the age of 60 will be diagnosed with Parkinsons. Of these individuals, 90% are likely to develop difficulty with speech and communication. Left untreated, speech disorders can lead to serious swallowing complications. The inability to effectively speak and safely swallow can lead to isolation, depression, dependence on others, feeding tubes, multiple hospitalizations, and death. Parkinson Voice Project exists to help people with parkinson's and related neurological disorders regain and retain their speech and swallowing. Major Programs & Activities-SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program:In 2010, Parkinson Voice Project developed a unique speech therapy program for people with Parkinsons and related neurological disorders. Our SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program combines education, individual and group speech therapy, daily home practice, and continuous follow-ups. Since Parkinsons is a progressive, degenerative disorder, our treatment protocol is meant to be a life-long program. In other words, once a patient enters the program, they remain in it throughout their life. Speech Therapy Clinic:Parkinson Voice Project runs a speech therapy clinic in Richardson, Texas. Its clinical team treats patients in-person and online. All its speech-language pathologists are licensed in Texas, but some also hold licensure in other states. Our speech-language pathologists who are licensed in other states can provide online therapy to patients living in those states. Something unique about Parkinson Voice Projects clinic is that it does not bill Medicare or insurance and has not charged for any of its speech therapy services since 2008. The clinic is funded primarily through donations.As part of its program, Parkinson Voice Project hosts a singing group called, The Intentional Singers. Rehearsals are held each week, and the group performs in three or four concerts each year. The concerts are held at Parkinson Voice Project. SPEAK OUT! Therapy Workbooks & Therapy Materials:Parkinson Voice Project has developed a SPEAK OUT! Therapy Workbook, flashcards, eLibrary, and other therapy materials to be used during SPEAK OUT! Therapy. Many of the materials have been translated in several languages. Parkinson Voice Project ships a SPEAK OUT! Therapy Workbook to patients throughout the U.S. who are being treated by a SPEAK OUT! Provider. Our organization wants every patient to have the tools needed to regain and retain their speech and swallowing. Parkinson Voice Project also provides free access to its SPEAK OUT! eLibrary for patients throughout the U.S. and abroad. This digital resource consists of the SPEAK OUT! Workbook, flashcards, and other therapy materials that patients can use during their therapy sessions and for home practice. Online SPEAK OUT! Home Practice Sessions:Parkinson Voice Project hosts LIVE online SPEAK OUT! Home Practice Sessions five days a week on its website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel to help people with Parkinsons remain consistent with their daily SPEAK OUT! exercises. These sessions are recorded and available 24/7. This is especially helpful to patients who live in other countries. Parkinson Voice Project also hosts a weekly Parkinsons Sing-Along. SPEAK OUT! Therapy Training and the SPEAK OUT! Therapy Grant Program:Parkinson Voice Projects vision is to make its SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program accessible to people with Parkinsons and related neurological disorders worldwide. To achieve this goal, the organization has developed a 10.5-hour online continuing education course for speech-language pathologists and graduate students. To accelerate its replication process, Parkinson Voice Project began awarding training grants to hospitals, universities, and other speech therapy clinics across the U.S. and abroad in 2018. These grants provide free training to speech-language pathologists and graduate students, as well as therapy materials. In 2024, 1068 discount training codes were awarded to individual speech-language pathologists; and 353 Clinical Education Grants were awarded to clinics that treat patients and train graduate students. Our Campaign To Reach America:In 2021, Parkinson Voice Project launched a project called, Our Campaign To Reach America. It is an ambitious project whereby our organization is collaborating with one university speech clinic in every state to make our SPEAK OUT! Therapy Program accessible to patients who would not otherwise have access to treatment. These university clinics follow Parkinson Voice Projects funding model (no-charge therapy) and specialize in online treatment. By not charging and providing online therapy, SPEAK OUT! Therapy is available to the homebound, those who live in rural areas, and those who have insurance or financial limitations. These clinics also train their graduate students in SPEAK OUT! Therapy and are conducting research on the program with the goal of being published in a scientific journal(s) in three to five years. These clinics are called SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Centers. Since speech-language pathologists are licensed by state, the goal is to have one center in each state across America. Each Center will be able to treat any patient in their state.As of April 2024, Parkinson Voice Project has 26 SPEAK OUT! Therapy & Research Centers (25 plus our clinic in Texas): University of Alabama Birmingham, Arizona State University, Arkansas State University, California State University Los Angeles, Metropolitan State University Denver (this clinic is the Center for both Colorado and Wyoming), Sacred Heart University, University of South Florida, Georgia Southern University, Western Kentucky University, Northeastern University, Andrews University, Jackson State University, Saint Louis University, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Nevada, Reno, University at Buffalo, Kent State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of South Carolina, University of Utah (this clinic is the Center for Utah, Virginia, and Washington D.C.), Eastern Washington University, and Marshall University.Every Center receives SPEAK OUT! Therapy Training and Licensing for all their speech pathology faculty and graduate students. They also receive $10,000 a year with a five-year commitment. Universities that are the center for more than one state receive $10,000 per state. Clinical and research faculty traveled to Parkinson Voice Projects clinic in June 2024 for specialized training. Faculty members received a travel stipend, along with their hotel stays.Parkinson Voice Projects CEO works closely with the Center faculty. She conducts monthly Roundtable Meetings via Zoom that faculty members are required to attend. In 2024, the CEO began conducting onsite visits to the Centers, too.