Most people know Parkinson's disease affects movement. Few realize how devastating it is to speech. Research has found that speech disorders affect up to 89% of people with Parkinson's disease — yet despite that staggering number, only 3–4% ever receive speech treatment.
That gap is startling. Between 75% and 90% of people with Parkinson's will develop voice and speech problems over the course of their illness, including softened voice, monotone pitch, slurred words, and tremor. These communication challenges are a significant driver of lower quality of life, associated with social withdrawal and increased risks for isolation and stigmatization.
What makes Parkinson's speech so uniquely difficult is that the person often can't perceive it themselves. The brain's feedback loop — the system that tells you how loud or clear you're speaking — becomes impaired. A person may feel they're speaking normally while their family can barely hear them.
Traditional speech therapy helps, but access is limited and sessions are infrequent. What fills the gap in between? Increasingly, the answer is technology. Apps that amplify speech in real time, build phrases without typing, and work hands-free with voice commands are giving people with Parkinson's a way to communicate on their own terms — every day, not just during therapy sessions.
Leslie was built with exactly this reality in mind. If someone you love is living with Parkinson's, the 14-day free trial is a low-risk way to see whether it helps.