Research Finds Voice Technologies Can Aid Parkinson's Patients

Research by Monash University and Ulster University found that people with Parkinson's disease can benefit from voice-assisted technologies, such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa, which they said could enhance early speech and language therapies.

The study found that 90 percent of people with Parkinsons in the U.K. study owned a voice-assisted device, 71 percent use it regularly, and 31 percent use the technology specifically to address speech impairments associated with their Parkinson's disease.

Additionally, nearly 55 percent said they sometimes, rarely, or never had to repeat themselves when using voice-assisted technology and 15 percent perceived their speech to be clearer.

"Voice-assisted technology has been embraced by many people and households, from both a general day-to-day perspective but also now, as we have seen from the research, in the form of assisting people with speech difficulties," Ulster university speech and language therapy lecturer Orla Duffy said in a statement. "Voice-assisted technologies now have the capability to support future therapies and act as useful tools for speech and language therapists, with the added benefit of already being present in the patient's home."