A family from Gillingham say they are so grateful for pioneering technology, which will allow them to hear their mother’s voice after motor neurone disease started to rob her of her speech.

The grandmother of seven, 71, who wants to remain anonymous, has been ‘banking’ her voice as it becomes harder and harder to speak due to the disease. Her husband, 65, said: “For the whole family this will be a great comfort to them all to be able to hear her voice when she can longer speak.”

Over the last couple of years, Dorset HealthCare’s speech and language therapy team has trialled a ‘voice banking’ service, funded by the East Dorset and New Forest branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Staff help patients ‘bank’ their voice, which then gets fed into software so they can communicate in their old, familiar tones.

The woman’s husband said: “My wife was diagnosed in November, but her symptoms started just over a year ago. It was frightening to start with but we go from day to day now. She is still at the stage where she can walk and we try to get out for a walk every day. All food has to be pureed and speech is very hard for her – it’s a big effort. We’re still coming to terms with it. Rose from Weldmar comes here once a month and she is excellent.”

The pioneering technology to help people retain their voice despite the ravages of motor neurone is now being made available permanently in Dorset. MND patients can record hundreds of words and phrases to communicate in the event of losing their voice as the illness progresses.

The service has proved such a hit, used by more than 40 people, the trust has now provided funding to make the service permanent. Dorset is one of the few areas in the country to offer this service.

On average, 50 to 60 people are diagnosed with MND each year in Dorset. More than 80 per cent of them will develop communication problems, with many losing their voices altogether.

A short film outlining how the voice banking service works, and the positive impact it had for some local people with MND, can be seen at bit.ly/3rOcug0.

To find out more, go to: dorsethealthcare.nhs.uk/adult-speech-and-language-therapy.

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