HEALTH
words by KARISSA LAMONT, MSU Moorhead Marketing Intern photography by DAVE ARNTSON, MSU Moorhead
Mary Sluke
←
PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: Mary Sluke, MSUM Assistant Professor Jill Beuckens, and speechlanguage pathology graduate student Meredith Egeland.
speaking with intent msu m h e lp s pa rk i ns on’ s pat i e nt s re g a i n t h ei r voi c e
P
arkinson’s disease affects up to one million people in the United States and more than 10 million people worldwide. Parkinson’s presents both movement and non-movement symptoms, with about 80 percent of individuals experiencing speech difficulties. Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic is helping patients regain their voices as a Speak Out! and Loud Crowd provider.
48
a r e a wom a n
Jill Beuckens, assistant professor in the university’s speech-language hearing sciences department and the clinic supervisor, is a Speak Out! provider. There are 11 Speak Out! providers in North Dakota and 32 in Minnesota, six of whom work at the MSUM clinic.
“The Loud Crowd tells our clients we care, we want them to keep doing well, and we don't want medical expenses to hold them back,” says Beuckens. “Every three months we also check in with each client to see where they are at with their individual vocal demands.”
Speak Out! is an effective speech therapy program developed by the Parkinson Voice Project. It focuses on strengthening the muscles used for speaking and swallowing and teaches patients how to speak with intent. Clients attend 12 weekly one-on-one sessions with a certified provider before transitioning to the second stage of the program, Loud Crowd. This phase includes free lifetime access to weekly group maintenance therapy.
Speak Out! providers receive specialized training from the Parkinson Voice Project. Since one of the specialty areas in MSUM’s clinic is adults with voice and neurogenic type disorders, they received a grant allowing one person to travel to Texas for training. One of Beucken’s specialties is voice, so she attended the training and was surprised by the organization’s generosity.
| areawomanmagazine.com
PARKINSON’S DISEASE Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects up to 1 million people in the United States. Parkinson’s strikes 50% more men than women. Doctors diagnose as many as 60,000 new cases each year. Early signs of PD: Tremors, rigid muscles, speech changes, trouble sleeping, fainting, soft/low voice, and loss of automatic movements Mary Sluke’s first symptoms: Unsteadiness, falling, dizziness, dropping things Mary’s biggest challenges living with PD: Walking, speech, bladder control, and the unknowns of MSA (multiple systems atrophy)