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Hi. My mum has Parkinson’s. Her voice is very low and I feel it’s going to disappear altogether. The family finds it very difficult to understand her now and it’s getting worse. I need some sort "communication device" for the future. What if she wants water or is in pain? The other problem is her fingers; she can't move them well and might find it difficult to type. Any recommendations?

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Voice getting low is very common with Parkinson's Disease. My husband has Parkinson's. When his speech therapist came she worked with him on basic vocal exercises that had him make louder sounds and then louder words. He wasn't realizing that he was speaking low or mumbling. As with physical movement not being as "big" and pronounced, the voice also gets not as pronounced.
When he, a few years later, was not trying to vocalize to communicate, she had me buy a white board with markers where I could ask him a question with yes/no written on the board, so he could use eye gaze.
He is nodding or shaking head and sometimes uses words. But speech therapy did help.
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Reply to JanPeck123
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How about a dry erase board, words or pictures so she can just point?
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Reply to JuliaH
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I assume your Mum is living in a household where she is around people on a regular basis. If yes, make flash cards using a computer/printer and construction paper, each piece of paper saying something different.
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Reply to freqflyer
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There are communication boards that are now available for tablets, I'm including one so you can see what I mean but there are many similar options once you know what to look for

https://www.cboard.io/en/
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Reply to cwillie
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I would discuss both these issues with doctor and ask for a therapist consult for physical therapy and voice therapy management. Some of these is brain monitored, some of it a result of her Parkinson's. It is unlikely that it can be changed, but the fact she is still TRYING to be productive in terms of even trying to type is positive. It keeps flexibility and connections between neurons firing when they CAN do so.

A good understanding of both these issues would give you something to work with, and a way to know when working will be of no help.
Talk to Mom's doc soon as you can.
Do know that the ParkinsonsDisease.net has a Forum of family members and patients and Facebook has several. Talking with others dealing with the same issues you are will give you great connections for things to try on this journey to make it better.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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