Problems speaking, I seem to mumble or can't think of a word

niven · Newbie Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 5

Hi, I have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease five years ago, but now I seem to have developed a new condition. At first I wasn't aware that I have a problem, but my family members explained that half of the time they do not understand what I am saying, because my speech turns into a mumble. Now I even have trouble thinking of a word. It seems that sometimes I just can't find a right word. This is very frustrating for me. Could these speaking problems have something to do with Parkinson's?

annalee · Newbie Joined: 06 Aug 2005 Posts: 5

Hi, people who suffer from Parkinson's disease sometimes have speaking problems. My mother has Parkinson's and she also has trouble with her speech. Before she started her speech therapy I had a very hard time understanding what she is trying to say. This was very frustrating for her too, because she had to repeat herself and she wasn't aware how fast and mumbled her speech was. I took her to see her doctor and he told us that the speech problems occur in people with Parkinson's because the control over the muscles involved in the speech mechanism is lost. That is why speech therapy is one of the methods of dealing with this problem. You should talk to your doctor about your new symptoms and he will refer you to a speech pathologist. During her therapy my mother has learned to control her voice strength. Also, now she takes time to form the sentence in her mind before she says it out loud. I am positive that with this therapy you will be able to deal with your speaking problem as well.

Problems speaking, I seem to mumble or can't think of a word

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