An AI-assisted voice therapy companion for people living with Parkinson's disease — designed to support the daily vocal exercises that research shows can meaningfully preserve speech and quality of life.
Up to 90% of people with Parkinson's disease develop some form of speech or voice impairment — reduced volume (hypophonia), monotone quality, slurred articulation (dysarthria), or a combination. These changes often progress gradually, making them easy to dismiss until they become disabling.
The gold standard is formal speech therapy — particularly LSVT LOUD and SPEAK OUT! — which have strong evidence bases. But access is limited: sessions are expensive, therapists are scarce in many regions, and the exercises require consistent daily practice between appointments.
Parky is designed to fill that gap: daily guided vocal exercises, backed by the same evidence base as formal therapy, available on any device, free of charge.
The most extensively studied voice therapy for Parkinson's. Randomized trials show significant improvements in vocal loudness, intelligibility, and quality of life. The mechanism: high-effort vocal exercise with auditory feedback recalibrates the patient's perception of their own voice, overcoming the sensory processing deficit that leads to hypophonia.
A complementary approach developed by the Parkinson Voice Project. Shifts speech from an automatic to an intentional motor act, bypassing the basal ganglia pathways affected by PD. Shown in studies to maintain and improve vocal function over time with regular practice. The LOUD Crowd group maintenance program extends gains achieved in individual therapy.
Emerging evidence supports app-based and telehealth voice therapy as effective supplements to in-person treatment. Studies show patients who practice daily — even without a therapist present — maintain gains significantly better than those who practice less frequently. Feedback, gamification, and reminders improve adherence meaningfully.
"Voice therapy for Parkinson's is one of the few interventions with a strong evidence base, proven efficacy, and almost no serious adverse effects. The barrier is access — not science."
Structured vocal exercise sessions of 15–20 minutes, following LSVT LOUD and SPEAK OUT! protocols. Exercises include sustained vowels, pitch glides, functional phrases, and reading passages — with audio cues and timing guidance.
The device microphone measures vocal loudness in real time, providing visual and audio feedback to help users calibrate effort. Patients consistently underestimate their vocal effort due to sensory processing changes in PD — objective feedback corrects this.
Session-by-session tracking of vocal metrics — loudness, duration, pitch range — displayed as trends over time. Shareable reports allow patients to show objective data to their speech-language pathologist or neurologist at appointments.
A companion view for caregivers to monitor session completion and trends. A clinician portal (planned for Phase 2) allows registered speech-language pathologists to view patient data, customize exercise plans, and send notes directly within the app.
Literature review of LSVT LOUD, SPEAK OUT!, and digital therapy evidence. Exercise protocol designed in consultation with speech-language pathologists. Scientific advisory feedback incorporated.
User interviews with PD patients and caregivers. Low-fidelity prototype testing. Accessibility requirements documented — larger touch targets, high contrast, simplified navigation for tremor-affected users.
Building the exercise engine, microphone integration, and real-time feedback loop. Web and iOS builds being developed in parallel. Alpha testing with a small group of PD patients.
Expanded beta with 50–100 patients. Outcomes tracked against standard clinical measures (UPDRS speech subscore, acoustic analysis). IRB consultation for formal validation study.
Free public release on iOS, Android, and web. Clinician portal launched. Partnerships with Parkinson's Foundation and APDA for distribution to their communities.
We are accepting expressions of interest from PD patients, caregivers, and clinicians who want to participate in the Parky alpha and beta programs. Early participants shape the product and receive lifetime free access.