5 Awesome Apps Perfect for Parkinson's Therapy Sessions

Using Apps to Treat Parkinson's Disease

Did you know?  

• Parkinson's affects up to 1 million people in the U.S.

• More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's Disease

• Doctors diagnose as many as 60,000 new cases each year

• Parkinson's strikes 50 percent more men than women

• The average age of onset is 60

Parkinson's disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. Sometimes it begins with a tremor in the hand and then will worsen over time to affect other limbs, mobility, balance, coordination, speech and swallow. 


Though there is no cure, treatments and therapy (Physical, Occupational and Speech) can help treat symptoms.  

Here are five nifty apps that can be incorporated into the treatment sessions of people with Parkinson's.


#1:  YouTube

Scientific studies are clear:  the healthful benefits of music are numerous.  

• Music reduces stress, depression, anxiety and pain  
• Music enhances memory
• Music treats seizures
• Music promotes brain healing and recover after injury
• Music helps to organize movements in patients with Parkinson's

This video was shared on Facebook a few weeks ago ... it is a must watch! If you haven't seen it already, please take a few minutes to watch it in entirety.  It is remarkable!  

The main characters are Anicea Gunlock, an Oklahoma Physical Therapy Assistant, and her patient Larry. Watch how music streaming from a smart phone made a huge difference in this patient's walking.  Seeing is believing!

As a Speech Pathologist, music can help target volume, breathing, intonation, rhythm and pace.  Use music from YouTube (or any other music app- Pandora, Spotify, etc.) in one of your next therapy sessions... and prepare to be amazed!


#2: Metronome

 

People with Parkinson's often struggle to control their rate of speech.  A fast rate of speech seriously reduces intelligibility – especially when speaking with strangers.The metronome has been used as a method to help people who speak too quickly to regulate (slow) their rate of speech and to increase their intelligibility.  

Incorporate a metronome app to make sure that rushes of speech are a thing of the past.  Then sit back and enjoy speech that is slower and easier to understand.

 #3:  Speak Up Parkinson's

The Speak Up for Parkinson’s app is a useful tool for Parkinson’s patients to practice their speech. The approach used in the app pays special attention to the volume of the patient’s voice. 

Practice tools are included, a volume meter is provided and audio/video feedback is available. The app also provides helpful Speaking Tips and other valuable information. 

Speak Up for Parkinson's is an interesting addition your therapy toolbox. Give it a try!

#4:  Swallow Now

Excess saliva in the mouth can be an unpleasant and embarrassing problem for people with Parkinson's Disease. Swallow Now is an app that enables people who are having difficulty with management of saliva to receive an external prompt to swallow at predictable intervals. 

Swallow Now can be set to vibrate or emit a tone at preset times. With regular use, the Swallow Now app promotes a more frequent, automatic swallow pattern and reduces the potential embarrassment of drooling. 

Download the Swallow Now app and begin increasing your patient's self awareness of drooling and promoting the self regulation of regular saliva swallows.

#5:  Voice Recorder

Making recordings of a person with Parkinson's before, during and after therapy has many benefits:

• Provides immediate feedback to your patients regarding their speech understandability

• Gives opportunities for self assessment of voice, speech, and intelligibility

• Helps document progress over time

• Enables patients and family members to hear progress- builds confidence and maintains motivation

• Allows sharing of data with others

• Lets you perform quantifiable measurements on a variety of speech parameters

Provide auditory feedback in your next Parkinson's treatment session and help your patient increase awareness to improve their overall communication effectiveness.

If you have questions or need help managing Parkinson's for someone you love, Spontaneous Speech is available.   

Working with a Speech Language Pathologist can:

• improve speech understandability
• boost vocal intensity
• enhance memory
• increase swallow safety

Call today to for a free consultation:  361-271-1700. We're ready to help!  In the meantime, please like and share this post with anyone you know that may benefit.  

It isn't the mountains ahead that wear you out, it's the pebbles in your shoe.

Mohammad Ali

3 Life Changing Strategies Every Dementia Caregiver Should Know

How to Avoid a Nervous Breakdown:

A Simple Guide for Caregivers

Day to day life as a dementia caregiver is challenging. Some days, providing care for a friend or family member with dementia may be downright overwhelming. Caregivers often report feeling like they're about to go "over the edge." 


Frustration is a normal and valid response to many of the difficulties dementia caregivers face. But how do you keep yourself from going bonkers?  


Here are three strategies any caregiver can incorporate TODAY that can be sanity savers and game changers:  

Give them a purpose

People without a purpose are miserable and can make you feel that way too.  Often times, when a person believes they have nothing left to contribute, feelings of depression and worthlessness set in. Additionally, when people with dementia begin to think  they are a burden on family members, feelings of anxiety and guilt can be overwhelming.  


Despite cognitive difficulties or memory lapses, persons with dementia can still contribute by completing simple household chores:

• dusting furniture
• sweeping
• folding laundry
• stirring cake batter
• setting the table
• tearing lettuce for a salad
• cutting coupons
• washing dishes

By assisting with daily chores, people with dementia gain a sense of purpose and meaning. Not only with they be able to contribute in a way that is helpful, they will likely demonstrate less boredom, pacing, sleeping and perhaps, even fewer difficult behaviors. Once again, see themselves as being reliable and dependable...and that's a great feeling! 


So, don't be afraid to delegate.  Consider their physical abilities, interests and habits and then ask them to complete a task. Let them know you are counting on them to do the job, but keep in mind that perfection upon completion is not the expectation. 


You can accomplish more when you work together, but just as important, caregivers can avoid burnout and nervous breakdown.

Keep them well fed and adequately hydrated

We all know that good nutrition is important for proper body function. Of course, the same can be said for fluids- they are critical for good health and well being.  In order to make sure people with dementia are properly nourished, seek to give high protein, high calorie foods.  If they seem to be falling short, show a diminished appetite or begin to lose weight, nutritional supplementation (like Ensure, Boost or Glucerna) may be necessary.


Adequate hydration can be difficult for people of all ages.  Be sure to offer a variety of liquids, and have them readily available. If the person with dementia is needing extra calories, offer liquids like juice, milk, soda or sweet tea. If diabetes is a concern, switch things up a bit by offering sugar free drinks (like Crystal Lite) or tea with artificial sweetener. For a special treat, give reduced sugar juices or diet sodas. 


By making sure nutrition and hydration are adequate, you can prevent a variety of health concerns:  

• constipation
• dehydration
• UTI
• weakness
• fatigue
• delirium
• hospitalization
• death

People with dementia may not ask for food, it might slip their minds to eat and they may forget it's been hours since they've had something to drink.  Be sure that foods, snacks and liquids are offered at regular intervals throughout the day. Remember, don't ask, "Do you want something to drink?", rather, say, "Here, I poured you a glass of water. Take a few sips."


Join their reality

People with dementia often have difficulty with orientation. This may result in disorientation to person, place, time and reality. As much as possible, and within reason, go with their reality flow. By doing this, caregivers are able to eliminate arguments and 
prevent unnecessary upset. 


Instead of trying to convince the person with dementia that they're wrong, try the divert and distract technique.  It's as simple as it sounds:  divert their attention to something else or distract them with a change of activity or a change of location.  This can strategy can allow caregivers to keep a person with dementia emotionally in check and behaviorally under control.


If orientation to present circumstances is difficult, sometimes going back in time can help with reorientation.  Reminiscing is more than just living in the past, it enables patients with dementia to communicate and interact with listeners in the present.  It provides the person with dementia a sense of confidence and self esteem while giving a sense of fulfillment and comfort as they look back on their lives. 

There's no reason to live on the edge!  By following these three simple strategies, dementia caregivers can reduce stress, diminish fatigue and prevent a nervous breakdown.


If you have questions or need help managing dementia for someone you love, Spontaneous Speech is available. Working with you, we can help you create weekly routines and establish daily schedules that give a sense of purpose.  We can address feeding and swallowing challenges, and we can establish strategies that maximize communication. What's more, we can help you learn other ways to cope with the stress of caring for a person with dementia.  


Call today to for a free consultation:  361-271-1700.  In the meantime, please like and share this post with anyone you know that is a dementia caregiver.  


We change the world when we simply meet the needs of another.
Kristen Welch

Get a Grip: Perfect Your Business Handshake With 6 Simple Tips

The Wrong Handshake Can Be 

Bad For Business

Around the world, there is a great diversity of customs when it comes a  when it comes to greeting friends, acquaintances and associates.   

For instance, in Tibet, sticking out your tongue can be a way of welcoming people. In New Zealand, Maori greet each other by touching noses.  Ethiopian men touch shoulders. 

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, male friends touch foreheads.  In many Asian countries, people bow to each other when meeting.  In European and Arab countries, hugs and kisses on the cheek are the norm.  

How do you greet people?  

Generally speaking, in modern business culture, a handshake is the most common way to greet someone when meeting them.  A handshake is also commonly used when: 

• parting 
• offering congratulations 
•  expressing gratitude 
• showing good sportsmanship 
•  completing an agreement 

That adds up to a lot of hand shaking!  In fact, a recent UK study revealed that the average person will shake 15,00 hands over the course of a lifetime.  

No matter how many times it happens, it's important to make sure your handshake leaves the right kind of impression.  

So, what does your handshake say about you? What does it say about the people you are doing business with?   

Here's a look at a few handshakes that can leave the wrong impression, and ultimately, be bad for business.   

Watch this short video...it's pretty funny and it will help you determine what kind of impression you're making each time you shake hands. 

All kidding aside, a strong handshake with confident eye contact creates an immediate image of strength, professionalism and belief in oneself. Now that's a great way to start off a new relationship! But wait, there's more... 

Have you ever considered other ways a great handshake can help you?  

A Fortune 500 CEO once said that when he had to choose from two equally qualified candidates, he gave the position to the candidate with the best handshake. 

He's not the only one who feels that way either! Researchers at the  University of Iowa analyzed interactions during job interviews.  They concluded that handshakes are "more important than agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability." 

Subsequent studies have shown that a good handshake can improve the quality of an interaction, producing a higher degree of intimacy and trust within a matter of seconds.  

So now what? 

Get a Grip: Perfect Your Handshake 

With 6 Simple Tips 

#1  Be prepared

If you're in a situation where you might be meeting people, be sure to keep your right hand free. Shift anything you're holding into your left to avoid fumbling at the last moment.   

  

#2 Use good body language  

A lot goes into a great handshake so consider your body language. Stand up and make eye contact, keep your head straight and smile.  

#3  Plan your approach 

When reaching out to shake hands, keep your hand perfectly perpendicular, neither dominant (palm down) or submissive (palm up).  Approach a handshake with your thumb pointing up. This will enable web to web contact of hands and help to avoid an awkward flip. 

#4  Make contact 

To ensure the right level of contact between hands, keep your palm flat- not cupped- when you reach out to shake.  Once you have achieved good web to web contact, curl the fingers around the hand, as if you're giving a hug with your hand. 

#5 Shake, shake, shake 

Once contact is made, lock your thumb down and squeeze, using about as much pressure as your partner. Shake from your elbow- not your wrist- and give 2 to 3 pumps.  

  

#6  Practice 

Until you get the hang of it, practice with friends or family that will give you honest, candid feedback, particularly before a job interview or networking event.  This type of practice makes a truly perfect handshake that will make an amazing difference when meeting people.  

If you want to make an outstanding first impression during personal, professional and social situations, a speech coach can help.  Contact the experts at Spontaneous Speech Coach today.   


Not only can we help you get a grip on your handshake, we will teach you the skills you need to improve your communication in a way that helps you express confidence, trust and authenticity.


Set up an appointment for a consultation today.  Call us at 361-271-1700  We'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.  In the meantime, please like and share this post. 

The handshake of the host, effects the taste of the roast.

Benjamin Franklin