Conversation Barriers and Strategies Used by People With Parkinson's and Their Partners to Support Conversation

What is already known on the subject Parkinson's disease is a motor speech disorder which not only impacts the person physically but also impacts their communication and social interaction thereby impacting their quality of life. Difficulty engaging in conversations is a common challenge reported by people with Parkinson's. Through their lived experience, people with Parkinson's and their partners have understood the common barriers they face in conversations and have developed a range of strategies to support their conversations with each other. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Participants in this study described their lived experience of Parkinson's and shared the strategies they used to support conversations. These included strategies that could be used in preparation for and during conversations, with phone use, strategies related to acceptance and awareness of the condition and accessing services and information. This work highlights the important role played by both the person with Parkinson's and their communication partner in promoting conversational success to support their quality of life. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? This study provides clear implications for therapy supporting conversation in this population. It also highlights the need for future research assessing the effectiveness of conversation strategies that people with Parkinson's and their communication partners perceive to be effective.