Call companions is a telephone befriending service. The role of a call companion is to have befriending conversations with an older person over the phone, in this case an older person with Parkinson’s or their carer.

Since non-verbal cues such as eye contact and gesture are absent, in this training we provide clues you can pick up on over the phone.

Difficulties with speech and voice

Speaking involves complex movement and control of our throat, voice box, mouth, lips and tongue. When a person has Parkinson’s the muscles in these parts of the body may not be working as well. As a result speech may be very quiet, slurred, unclear, monotone or fast.

The older person may get stuck on a word or ‘stammer.’ Additionally, their voice may be unsteady and flat, breathy, like they are sighing and talking very quietly. It may also go deeper than before, or gets hoarse, croaky or trembling.

Difficulties with the volume

Research has shown that some people with Parkinson’s may find it harder to detect differences in their own speech and language.

A quieter voice is more common in people with Parkinson’s. People with Parkinson’s often don’t realise that they are talking more quietly. In some cases, they may think that they are shouting when they are not. 

Memory and thinking problems

Changes that happen in the brain mean people with Parkinson’s may not be able to process thoughts as quickly. This includes difficulty in finding the right words they need or understanding what other people mean straight away. It also includes problems getting their thoughts together quickly enough to respond to someone in the flow of a conversation. In particular, this can happen when they have to do several different things at once (for example, walking and talking) or have distractions around.

Social communication

Some people with Parkinson’s may find having conversations more difficult.  Changes to their speech and voice can make every day social activities, like talking to friends or making phone calls, difficult and takes more effort.

They may find it harder to take turns and interrupt naturally to express their opinion, follow conversations that have lots of fast changing topics, get their thoughts together quickly, take the lead and start a new conversation, respond to questions (particularly complex ones), or speak for a long time.

Fluctuating communication

Some people with Parkinson’s may have periods when they are ‘off’.’ They may find that they freeze and are unable to communicate or that their speech deteriorates. This can be because of the effects of medication wearing off.