Joan conserves her vocal powers
Living with Parkinson's for over two decades, 65-year-old Joan Norrie refuses to let the disease control her life. After grappling with complex medications and maintaining a busy family life, she underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery in 2013. While DBS improved her mobility significantly, it failed to address her voice and swallowing issues, common in most individuals who undergo this surgery.
Determined not to be one of the 80% of people with Parkinson's who develop voice and swallowing difficulties, Joan sought an innovative therapy to preserve her voice. That's when she stumbled upon SPEAK OUT!® and LOUD Crowd® therapies.
SPEAK OUT!®, developed by the Parkinson Voice Project, combines speech, voice, and cognitive exercises. It typically requires 8 to 12 individual treatment sessions for most people. The maintenance component of the program, LOUD Crowd®, offers ongoing vocal practice, support, and encouragement, helping patients maintain the strength of their voices.
Joan's journey to learning SPEAK OUT!® wasn't without hurdles. Fires and floods in the region caused a few setbacks, but she pushed through and started her program just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges, she made her way through the program using video calls with her Speech Pathologist, Colleen Kerr from Sydney, and Karen, her support worker.
The transformation in Joan's voice was evident. She became louder, more expressive, and quicker to engage in conversations. The support of her family and friends couldn't be more apparent as they celebrated her journey.
Joan's work in preserving her voice doesn't stop here. She'll keep working hard to speak with purpose and intent for the rest of her life. This newfound confidence has inspired her support worker, Karen, to assist other Parkinson's patients to reclaim their voice. Karen hopes to work with Colleen, Rachael, and the local Parkinson's community to make these therapies more accessible in the region.
The Parkinson Voice Project, showing creativity and generosity, offers free online lessons daily for individuals with Parkinson's worldwide. These sessions help people maintain their gains and are recorded for different time zones, with a live session each week for those on Australian Eastern Daylight-Saving Time. To learn more about these online classes or to find a trained provider, visit the Parkinson Voice Project's website: https://www.parkinsonvoiceproject.org.
- Joan Norrie, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, sought therapies and treatments beyond traditional medical-conditions management to preserve her voice.
- SPEAK OUT!®, a unique therapy developed by the Parkinson Voice Project, assisted Joan by combining speech, voice, and cognitive exercises.
- Despite initial hurdles and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Joan persisted with her therapies, utilizing video calls with her speech pathologist and support worker.
- Inspired by Joan's success, her support worker, Karen, aims to help other Parkinson's patients reclaim their voice, expanding accessibility of these innovative therapies and treatments in their region.
