Eureka Springs Hospital now offers speech therapy to improve communication and quality of life for patients living with Parkinson’s disease.
Speech therapist Lee Harvill recently became certified in LSVT LOUD, a type of speech therapy that has been scientifically validated for the last 30 years with funding from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. LSVT LOUD is the only speech treatment with level one evidence for people with Parkinson’s.
Published outcomes on LSVT LOUD have documented increased vocal loudness, improved articulation and speech intelligibility, improved intonation, improvements in facial expression and changes in neural functioning related to voice and speech.
“Parkinson’s disease can cause significant speech and voice decline, which can make it difficult for a person to be understood when they speak,” Harvill said. “I am very happy to be certified to provide LSVT LOUD therapy right here in Carroll County.”
Harvill said she’s thankful to have a speech therapy treatment protocol for Parkinson’s disease with solid research that produces excellent outcomes. LSVT LOUD treatment always involves 16 sessions – four consecutive days a week for four weeks – which includes 60-minute one-on-one therapy sessions, daily homework and carryover exercises, and personalized communication activities and goals.
“Since our basic human desire is to connect with one another, losing one’s ability to communicate may have a devastating impact on quality of life,” Harvill said. “It is so gratifying to be able to help folks improve their speech and voice and be able to communicate successfully with their loved ones and community.”
Eureka Springs Hospital CEO Angie Shaw said she’s excited to serve more patients through speech therapy.
“We are always working to expand our services to help more patients,” Shaw said. “We know we wouldn’t be here without our community, and we aim to support our community the same way they’ve continued to support us.”
For more information on all the Eureka Springs Hospital’s speech therapy offerings, call Harvill at 479-253-7400 ext. 2187 or email Lee.Harvill@EurekaSpringsHospital. com.
