Introduction Daytime drooling is experienced by around 50% of Parkinson’s patients, who fail to swallow saliva in sufficient volume or regularity, despite normal production. This research explored the feasibility and acceptability of using a cueing device, to improve drooling. Methods During a four-week intervention, 28 participants were asked to use a cueing device for 1 h per day. During this time, the device vibrated once-per-minute, reminding the participant to swallow their saliva. A daily diary was used to collect self-report around swallowing severity, frequency, and duration. This was filled out by participants for one week before, four weeks during and for one week immediately after intervention. Diaries were also collected for one week during a follow up, carried out four weeks after intervention finished. Results Participants self-reported benefits in drooling severity ( p = 0.031), frequency ( p ≤ 0.001), and duration ( p = 0.001) after using the device. Improvements were maintained at follow up. Twenty-two participants explicitly reported a positive benefit to their drooling during exit interview. All felt the intervention and device were acceptable and usable. Conclusions Using a cueing device for one month had perceived benefit to drooling severity, frequency and duration in patients with Parkinson’s. Participants accepted the device and treatment protocol.
Efficacy of short-term multidisciplinary intensive rehabilitation in patients with different Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes: a prospective pilot study with 3-month follow-up
