Parkinson鈥檚 Awareness Month is an annual observance held in April designed to increase awareness and support for individuals and families living with Parkinson鈥檚 disease. 

According to the Parkinson鈥檚 Foundation, it鈥檚 , and that number is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. It鈥檚 considered the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease.

After receiving a grant totalling more than $280,000 in 2023 from (PVP), RiteCare庐 Center for Communication Disorders at 快猫app短视 on the 快猫app短视 Armstrong Campus has worked to improve access to vital community health resources through the PVP鈥檚 program. 

Georgia Southern was one of 16 universities chosen to receive a grant from the organization’s national funding opportunity, 鈥淐ampaign to Reach America,鈥� which awards higher education clinics for their compassion and commitment to serving their communities. The free program provides accessible, high-quality care through in-person and remote speech therapy, as well as encouragement and hope to patients in the community.

Tory Candea, Ph.D., SLP.D., director of clinical education in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Georgia Southern, understands the importance of providing these invaluable services to community members living with Parkinson鈥檚. As a certified SPEAK OUT! provider and the primary clinician of the SPEAK OUT!^庐 Therapy & Research Center located at RiteCare, Candea is a first-hand witness to the benefits of the program.聽

鈥淥ne of the most rewarding parts of this work is watching participants rediscover their voice,鈥� Candea explained, 鈥淲hen therapy is accessible and consistent, the progress people make can be truly remarkable.鈥澛犅�

Candea worked with Assistant Professor of Psychology Robert G. Franklin Jr. from Anderson University in South Carolina to conduct research evaluating leadership qualities in patients before and after participating in SPEAK OUT! Therapy. The work was then published in the .

鈥淲hen people living with Parkinson鈥檚 strengthen their voice, they often strengthen their confidence as well,鈥� Candea said. That ripple effect is one of the most powerful outcomes we see through SPEAK OUT! Therapy.鈥� 

PVP鈥檚 commitment to provide grant funding to university-based clinics across the country exemplifies the organization’s dedication to providing speech therapy, encouragement and hope to individuals and families living with Parkinson鈥檚.