A Western Australian speech pathologist is trialling voice banking technology to help people living with conditions that may eventually affect their ability to speak.
The initiative is being used by patients with head and neck cancer, Motor Neurone Disease and other neurological conditions, allowing them to record their voices while they are still able to speak.
Premier Roger Cook said the technology could help patients retain a connection to their own voice if they later lose the ability to speak.
Through voice banking, recordings of a person’s speech are processed using artificial intelligence to create a digital voice that can be used with communication devices.
The technology gives patients the opportunity to retain a voice that reflects how they sounded before their condition affected their speech.
Among those taking part is Lisa, who was referenced by Mr Cook as an example of a patient benefiting from the programme.
The WA speech pathologist, Libby, is trialling the technology as part of efforts to provide patients with another communication option as their conditions progress.
According to Mr Cook, 35 patients had enrolled in the programme during its first five months, recording and storing their voices for potential future use.
Voice banking can be particularly relevant for people whose conditions may progressively affect speech, as communication devices can use the stored digital voice to produce spoken messages.
Mr Cook said the trial demonstrated how technology and healthcare innovation in Western Australia could be applied to practical challenges faced by patients.
For people concerned about losing their ability to communicate, having access to a digital version of their own voice may provide another way to maintain a sense of familiarity and personal identity when using assistive communication technology.
The WA trial is continuing to give eligible patients the opportunity to bank their voices while they are still able to speak, with the stored recordings available for use if communication needs change.
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