The Outpatient Center at Overlake Hospital Medical Center has begun offering a specialized type of speech therapy for patients with voice and speech disorders as a result of Parkinson’s disease.

The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT-LOUD), program is a time-intensive program consisting of 16 one-hour sessions scheduled over the course of one month that helps patients improve the volume and clarity of their speech. The treatment techniques and vocal exercises teach patients to increase and strengthen their breath and exaggerate their speech volume so they can talk much louder and more clearly than they used to.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that often causes a weak, breathy voice and indistinct speech, along with other physical symptoms.