Caro, MI
Tel: 989-673-2500
Traverse City, MI
Tel: 231-263-1350
CHANGING LIVES
Lee Silverman Voice Treatment
Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease
and Other Neurological Disorders
Multiple therapists from each location, Caro and Traverse City, are LSVT certified, trained clinicians to offer LSVT LOUD & BIG therapies for people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. The Lighthouse is proud of our therapists for persistently searching for treatments that will able our residents and outpatients to achieve the recovery, rehabilitation and quality of life they deserve.
What LSVT LOUD Improves:
LSVT LOUD improves communication by helping you speak with a voice and volume that's easy for others to hear and understand. The treatment is built on tailored exercises that strengthen the voice box (larynx) and speech system.
Another key is working with an LSVT LOUD Certified speech-language pathologist whose professional skills and training will ensure that you improve your voice in a healthy way.
While LSVT LOUD focuses on vocal loudness, research shows the treatment can also help with other qualities that improve communication, including articulation and intonation and even facial expression.
What LSVT BIG Improves:
With exercises involving the whole-body — personalized for each person but all built around “Think BIG!” as a guiding principle — LSVT BIG reteaches you how normal movement should feel. Often these movements seem strange at first — too big, even though they’re comparable to those of people all around you. Over time, you learn to recognize these larger movements as normal.
Specifically, research shows that LSVT BIG treatment can lead to faster walking with bigger steps and arm swings, better balance and more ability to twist at the waist. Clinicians also report that LSVT BIG often helps people with buttoning their clothes, writing and other smaller-movement (“small motor”) tasks, as well large (“large motor”) movements like dressing, getting up from a seat and getting into bed.
LSVT® is a trademark of LSVT Global, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. For more information on Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) visit, www.lsvtglobal.com/
Lighthouse Speech Therapy Parkinson’s Program
Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease that affects a person’s ability to move. This can include a person’s ability to speak clearly and eat safely. Speech-language pathologists trained to treat both of these areas. The Lighthouse Neurological Rehabilitation Center offers specialized speech therapy treatments that can help improve speech and swallowing to help people with Parkinson’s disease continue to participate in and enjoy their lives.
LSVT
What is it? LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Therapy, though the program is now known as LSVT LOUD. It is a program designed to help improve the speech production and function in people with Parkinson’s disease.
How does it work? The program targets multiple areas of speech production, breath support, voicing, prosody, and articulation, by focusing on a single cue: loudness. By providing this specific cue, the participant is able to focus on their speech production without having to attend to the different areas of speech production. The main objective of the program is for a participant to be able to independently carryover their improved voice outside of therapy.
Is there any evidence to support this therapy? Multiple studies have shown that not only is LSVT LOUD effective, but the effects of the therapy remain for up to two years after completing the treatment.
Who else can benefit from LSVT LOUD? While the program was originally designed for people with Parkinson’s disease, studies have found evidence of its effectiveness in people who have had strokes and head injuries, as well as people with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome.
Benefits of VitalStim Combined with LSVT Loud
What is it? VitalStim is a therapy modality that is used to improve swallow function in people with dysphagia through the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation while performing traditional swallowing exercises.
How does it work? The speech-language pathologist places electrodes onto the neck or face to stimulate nerves in order to intensify the muscle movement while the participant performs swallowing exercises. The objectives of this treatment are to increase the strength and/or overall function off the swallow mechanism in order to promote and maintain swallow safety.
Is there any evidence to support this therapy? The FDA has certified VitalStim as effective and safe for swallowing therapy based on their review of the evidence and research.
Who can benefit from VitalStim? VitalStim is used to treat people with dysphagia, difficulty swallowing. It can be used to treat participants with Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, among other diagnoses. The participant must have some remaining lower motor neuron function in order for the treatment to work, but any and all levels of severity can potentially benefit from this treatment.
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