When Dennis Conrad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease two years ago, he began noticing changes that affected his everyday life. A Vietnam Army veteran, retired farmer and grain elevator worker from Little Cedar, Conrad spent decades working hard and staying active. But Parkinson’s was making simple things more difficult, including something many people take for granted: being heard.
“My family couldn’t hear me talk,” he recalled.
It was during one of his appointments with Mitchell County Regional Health Center’s Dr. Benson Hargens a little more than a year ago that he learned about LSVT LOUD, a specialized speech therapy program designed for people living with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. Dr. Hargens recommended the treatment, and Conrad decided to try it.
Looking back, he says it was one of the best decisions he has made, although the therapy wasn’t always easy.
“You cuss a little bit about it when you first start,” Conrad joked. “But in the end, it was marvelous.”
LSVT LOUD is an evidence-based speech therapy program offered at Mitchell County Regional Health Center. LSVT stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment. It was developed in 1987 and named after Mrs. Lee Silverman, a woman living with Parkinson’s disease whose family simply wished they could hear and understand her.
The treatment focuses on helping patients improve their vocal loudness, speech clarity and communication confidence. The goal is for individuals to “rev up” their stronger voice with daily practice so they can use it comfortably in everyday communication. The program includes individual therapy sessions four consecutive days each week for four weeks, with exercises and activities tailored to each patient’s personal speech goals.
Conrad also participated in the complementary LSVT BIG program, which helps people with Parkinson’s disease improve mobility, balance and everyday movement. Like LSVT LOUD, the program is an intensive four-week treatment delivered four days each week; it is designed to help participants move with bigger, more purposeful motions.
At MCRHC, speech therapists Jessica Hemann and Kelly Steimel guided Conrad through the LSVT LOUD process. Occupational therapists Kayley Schulz and Maddy Rolling took the reins leading the LSVT BIG sessions.
Just a few weeks into the programs, the difference was remarkable, according to Conrad.
“My family said, ‘Wow! He can talk!'”
While LSVT LOUD helped him regain his voice, LSVT BIG helped him regain mobility and independence. Before therapy, Conrad relied on a cane and sometimes a wheelchair to get around. As his therapy progressed, his balance, endurance and mobility improved, allowing him to move more confidently and return to activities that had become increasingly difficult with no cane and no wheelchair.
“Before, I couldn’t walk a block,” he said. “Now, I can walk three.”
Through consistent hard work and dedication, Conrad made significant progress from day one, and those gains have lasted. He credits his entire therapy team for helping him achieve that success.
“Without them, I’d be someplace else,” he said.
The improvements extended far beyond the therapy room. Today he finds himself communicating more easily with family and friends, while moving more confidently and staying active in daily life. He’s living life with renewed confidence.
“I still practice the therapy daily,” he said. “I took some time off once, and it took me three weeks to get caught up.”
For Conrad, the results speak for themselves.
“I can talk. I can get around better. I feel good,” he said. “I’m one happy camper.”
