Study Goal:

Drooling is experienced by up to 70% of people with Parkinson’s. Some people with Parkinson's swallow automatically less often, particularly when multi-tasking and concentrating on other thing’s such as watching television. When automatic swallows don’t occur, spit, or saliva can build up in the mouth and cause drooling. This can be embarrassing and restrict the social life of people with Parkinson's. A previous study showed that a wearable wrist device using vibrations increased swallowing. However, the device in this previous study wasn't able to do other things and was not suitable for everyday use. Therefore, the Cue Band Study looks at a larger group of participants to understand if a newer device would be accepted in the real-world and to understand the longer-term effects.

What's Involved:

Participants are given an electronic watch called a Cue Band. It has an application (App) installed on it designed to work with a smartphone. Cue Band is a discrete and comfortable device that can be worn on the wrist. Participants are asked to wear it all the time for 6 weeks. Two groups receive cues, or alerts, via the Cue Band. They then receive the same cues from a smartphone. They are also asked to complete daily diaries and at the end of the study, an interview and a questionnaire with the researchers. A third group receive the Cue Band device and the watch collects their data while using it which is fed back to the researchers. They are also asked to complete the questionnaire at the end of the study. This study will give us a greater understanding of the effectiveness and acceptability of the technology within real-world use.

Who Can Take Part? 

People who have Parkinson’s