BUFFALO, N.Y. — The founder of a national non-profit that helps people with Parkinson's Disease visited Buffalo on Wednesday to share a message of hope.
Samantha Elandary resigned from her job as as a speech-language pathologist at a Dallas hospital in the '90s when she realized she could help people with Parkinson's get better access to therapy.
"I've been meeting people with Parkinson's all over America, and they all have the same struggles with speech and swallowing. They're desperate for help," said Elandary, the Parkinson Voice Project founder and CEO.
That's why, decades ago, Elandary stepped away from her hospital job.
"I was put in charge of the Parkinson's program there at the hospital. Then in the late '90s, Medicare came out with the Medicare therapy caps, which restricted the amount of speech therapy that adults could receive," Elandary said.
"These patients need continuous therapy and home practice, and it was just very difficult to offer it in that setting."
Elandary started what is now Parkinson Voice Project. Her goal is to help people with Parkinson's regain and retain their speech and swallowing for the rest of their lives.
Since the pandemic, they've started offering therapy online. U.B. South boasts the only Speak Out! Therapy and Research Center in New York State.
"We are very proud to be working with them. We now have 26 Speak Out! Therapy and Research centers, so 26 states where anybody with Parkinson's can get the treatment, and hopefully this spring we'll add some more," said Samantha Elandary.
The ultimate goal is to eliminate the barriers standing in the way for people to get the care they need.
"It just brings us a lot of joy to be able to help people with, I say it's one of God's most precious blessings is the ability to communicate. If we can't talk, if we can't eat safely, then it really affects everything we do throughout the day, and it's not a luxury to have speech therapy," Elandary said.
Since 2008, Parkinson Voice Project has used a pay-it-forward funding model. The donations keep the therapy free for anyone who needs it.