Though not every person with Parkinson’s will experience speech and non-verbal communications difficulties, a large number of people do develop problems—from reduced volume of speech, difficulty articulating words, to a monotonous tone, reduced facial expressions, and more.
In recognition of World Music Day, Fight Parkinson’s invites and encourages the community to join your local ParkinSong™ peer support group.
What is ParkinSong?
Backed by scientific evidence, ParkinSong is a trusted, activity-based peer support program that commenced in Williamstown in 2013 with the support of Fight Parkinson’s. It has been proven—via a controlled research trial—to improve vocal loudness and voice-related quality of life, as well as reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. The program involves vocal warm-up and exercise, practical communication activities, group singing, and social catch-up.
Why should I join my local ParkinSong peer support group?
According to an article titled, ‘Communication changes in Parkinson’s disease’ by Professor Nick Miller, Speech and Language Sciences, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, “Debilitating speech and voice sequelae are under-recognised yet surprisingly common, with up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s and related conditions experiencing communication difficulties—such as reduced loudness, reduced pitch variation, imprecise consonants, inappropriate silences, and impaired sensory processing—which negatively impact health-related quality of life.”
Just as Parkinson’s affects the muscles needed for movement, it also affects the muscles needed for communication. And when impairments make communication difficult, it can often lead individuals to avoid social interactions.
However, singing—and more specifically, group singing—generates widespread neural activation, making it a wonderful way to exercise the following areas, which can be impacted by Parkinson’s:
- Respiration: The process of breathing, which provides the necessary airflow for speech
- Phonation: Phonation occurs in the larynx (voice box), where the vocal folds vibrate to produce sound
- Resonance: The way sound is modified as it passes through the vocal tract, including the throat (pharynx), oral cavity, and nasal cavity. These structures influence the quality and tone of the voice
- Articulation: The process of shaping raw sound into recognisable verbal communication by moving the articulators, i.e. lips, tongue, teeth, hard and soft palate
- Prosody: The rhythm, stress, and intonation patterns of speech that add emotional expression, emphasis, and meaning to spoken language. It includes pitch variation (intonation), stress, rhythm, and pacing
- Cognition and memory: Specifically referring to the practice of skills like multitasking, sustained attention, and retrieval or words and lyrics.
Singing can also activate the reward, arousal, and emotion networks in the brain through stimulating the release of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins, and reducing cortisol levels.
Singing in a group context, followed by a social catch-up allows for social connection, carry-over of the vocal benefits of singing into conversation, and shared emotional states, which helps to create empathy, cohesion, and bonding. This makes the groups enjoyable and motivating!
A controlled trial of singing-based therapy
In 2019, a 12-month controlled clinical trial of singing-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease was conducted, and the results were published the following year in the 2020 Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
This trial explored the effects of a 12-month program, consisting of two groups:
- ParkinSong peer support group, with two dosage levels – weekly vs monthly
- Non-singing peer support group, i.e. painting, dancing, tai chi, etc.
A total of 75 participants were recruited, plus 44 carers, with assessments of vocal loudness, speech, respiratory measures, and voice-related quality of life completed at specific timepoints over a 12-month period.
Results of the trial
From significant improvements in vocal intensity, maximum expiratory pressure, and voice-related quality of life, to reductions in depression and stress scores, the trial revealed that ParkinSong peer support group sessions had an overall positive impact on participants.
The primary outcome of the trial was that ParkinSong participants—both weekly and monthly—increased their conversational speech loudness over 12 months, when compared to the non-singing peer support group.
Wellbeing was also measured as a part of the trial, with secondary outcomes revealing that anxiety scores were lower for weekly singers, in comparison to monthly singers.
For carers, the trial also showed improvements in depression, anxiety, and stress for those who attended weekly. This showed that the benefits of ParkinSong can extend beyond those living with Parkinson’s to the significant others in their lives.
How to join your local ParkinSong peer support group
Today, there are 5 ParkinSong peer support groups who gather in-person across Victoria. Contact Fight Parkinson’s for assistance locating your local ParkinSong peer support group.
Phone: 1800 931 031
Email: [email protected]
Visit: Suite 6, Waterman Business Suites, Level 1, 793 Burke Road, Camberwell, 3124 (open Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm)
For those who are unable to attend a ParkinSong group session, but may still be looking for a way to get involved in a Parkinson’s-specific singing program, we invite you to join us at one of our regular Fight Parkinson’s ‘Online Singing’ sessions, via Zoom, on selected Friday’s, between 10:30am and 11:30am. Registering is FREE, and song requests are always welcome.
Please note that these ‘Online Singing’ sessions are not part of the accredited ParkinSong therapeutic program, but rather a more casual gathering of community who still want to exercise their voice and lungs.
Click here to see upcoming ‘Online Singing’ sessions.
