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Life with communication changes in Parkinson's disease
Nick Miller1, Emma Noble, Diana Jones
1Speech Language Sciences, George VI Building, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne GB-NE1 7RU, UK. nicholas.miller@ncl.ac.uk
Age and Ageing
|March 17, 2006
Summary
Speech and language changes in Parkinson's disease (PD) significantly impact daily life and self-concept, even before intelligibility declines. Individuals develop diverse coping strategies to manage communication challenges and maintain social participation.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Psychology
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is known to cause speech changes, but the individual's perception and life impact are understudied.
- Limited empirical evidence exists on how people with PD perceive their communication changes and their coping mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of communication changes on the lives of individuals with Parkinson's disease.
- To explore the lived experiences and coping strategies of people with PD regarding their speech and language alterations.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews with 37 individuals with Parkinson's disease.
- Purposive sampling ensured a diverse participant group based on demographics, PD stage, and speech symptom severity.
- Content analysis of interview transcripts identified emergent themes, which were then confirmed by participants.
Main Results:
- Participants reported changes in voice, articulation, and language, affecting interactions, conversations, and self-perception of intelligibility.
- Key impact themes included social interaction, conversational difficulties, and voice concerns, with corresponding coping strategies identified.
- The primary concern was not the speech changes themselves, but their effect on self-concept, family dynamics, and participation.
Conclusions:
- Communication changes in Parkinson's disease profoundly affect individual and family life early on, preceding noticeable intelligibility issues.
- Early intervention and support from speech and language therapy warrant further investigation for individuals with PD.