Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease worldwide with up to 90% of
patients experiencing changes to their voice. Changes to the voice can have a significant impact on
patients’ participation in social situations, thus impacting their quality of life. This includes
communicating with family members, friends and unfamiliar communication partners including
healthcare professionals. Speech and language therapists can help minimise and manage the
impact changes to voice has on the quality of life for patients. However, in-person, one-to-one
therapy is not always sustainable for long-term management, which leads to the movement to
technology-based intervention and self-management.
Aims: The purpose of this co-design study is to identify the components of an ideal speech therapy
app from the perspectives of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and speech and language
therapists who work with this population through interviews and focus groups. Specifically, to a)
explore the experiences, barriers, and facilitators in using technology by individuals with Parkinson’s
disease from the perspectives of individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and speech and therapists, (b)
define user-friendly elements in a software app from the perspectives of individuals with
Parkinson’s disease, and c) explore the experience of Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease in
participating in this co-design process.
Method: People with Parkinson’s Disease and Speech and Language Therapists will participate in
separate small focus groups or semi-structured interviews. This data is currently being analysed
using Thematic Analysis and will be presented at the conference.