Episode 42: Passionate about Parkinson's with Julie Fechter, MS, CCC-SLP
Join Julie and Leigh Ann as they explore evolving best practices to work with people with Parkinson’s disease. Learn about the benefits of a preventative model for treatment and how to support individuals through a progressive neurological disease process. Julie brings a healthy dose of enthusiasm and mixes it with a solid foundation in best practices rooted in the latest evidence. In fact, Julie doesn’t wait for evidence to be published in the literature, she’s reaching out to researchers and learning about the work that is currently underway. My hope is that in addition to the knowledge and skill-building available in this episode, you will also learn how to connect with patients and earn the highest praise: “you instill confidence!”
topics covered:
Statistics of People with Parkinson’s (PwP) who will get dysarthria/dysphagia
Using a “dental model” for therapy with PwP
When should therapy be initiated for PwP?
Common characteristics associated with PwP
Tools for Parkinson’s Therapy
Dysphagia & Parkinson’s: future developments currently under research.
Keep learning with these resources:
Dysphagia in Parkinson's Disease (source for prevalence data)
Parkinson’s disease-associated dysarthria: prevalence, impact and management strategies.
Impact of expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) on phonatory performance in Parkinson’s patients.
Coates C, Bakheit AM. Dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease. Eur Neurol. 1997;38:49–52. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Ertekin C, Tarlaci S, Aydogdu I, et al. Electrophysiological evaluation of pharyngeal phase of swallowing in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord. 2002;17:942–9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Fuh JL, Lee RC, Wang SJ, et al. Swallowing difficulty in Parkinson’s disease. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 1997;99:106–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Johnston BT, Li Q, Castell JA, et al. Swallowing and esophageal function in Parkinson’s disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 1995;90:1741–46. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Leopold NA, Kagel MC. Prepharyngeal dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease. Dysphagia. 1996;11:14–22. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Sapir S, Ramig L, Fox C. Speech and swallowing disorders in Parkinson disease. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;16:205–10. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Yorkston KM, Miller RM, Strand EA. Management of Speech and Swallowing in Degenerative Diseases. Austin, Texas: Pro-ed; 2004. [Google Scholar]
Muller J, Wenning GK, Verny M, et al. Progression of dysarthria and dysphagia in postmortem-confirmed parkinsonian disorders. Arch Neurol. 2001;58(2):259–264. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Hartelius L, Svensson P. Speech and swallowing symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis: A survey. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica. 1994;46:9–17. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Logemann JA, Fisher HB, Boshes B, Blonsky E. Frequency and co occurrence of vocal tract dysfunctions in the speech of a large sample of Parkinson patients. J Speech Hear Dis. 1978;43:47–57. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Thanks for the resources, Julie!
Educated at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, Julie lived the SNF life for 6 years in the greater Seattle area until she got overwhelmed by the large amount of overtime she was working and ran away to travel the world for a year and a half.
Since coming back in July 2018, she had held jobs in SNFs, hospitals, and inpatient rehab, and started her own practice, which is the hardest thing she’s ever done. Did she mention it was getting Botox that lead her down this path?
Certified in MDTP and LSVT and trained in PhoRTE, Speak OUT!, LMRVT, and CSCFT, she is trying to branch out into non-Parkinson’s voice treatment as well, but her true love is working with individuals with Parkinson’s disease. She volunteers at a music therapy group, as well as boxing on Saturdays she’s not working.
You can find her mainly online, as she’s trying to save up money to buy fees equipment and can’t leave her house without spending at least $30, or on Instagram documenting the ridiculous minutiae of her life: julie.365.weekend
Private practice website: soundspeechandswallow.com
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Have you subscribed to the podcast? Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts/iTunes and future episodes will magically arrive on your doorstep/iPhone. For Android users, check out the 10 options available to you to listen!
You’ll earn my undying gratitude by leaving a review on iTunes! Reviews help other SLPs find the podcast. Also, I love reading your feedback! Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review,” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Malaho plenty!