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My mother .. let's call her May .. has very low voice volume. In a perfectly quiet room, we can talk with her perfectly well. Her problem is when she is in a noisier environment, or in situations where someone is not paying attention to her .. where if she had normal volume she would raise her voice to get someone's attention. This was a problem even when she was in a senior citizen apartment complex. People who didn't know her well, and who might be a bit hard of hearing as well, did not make the effort to include her in a conversation. I thought at the time that a microphone to amplify her voice might be a good idea, and we used to kid about what she could do with it. Now that she has had to transfer to a nursing home, the problem is even more acute. Lots more new people and many more aides to deal with. She tries to get to know other residents, but unless they can hear her first, it is difficult to take even step one ... which she says is identifying the fraction of people who are capable of carrying on a conversation. We would welcome any information about a microphone, ways to use one, any downside, and also successful strategies for a PD patient with a low voice (but no tremor in voice or hand or limbs) to initiate and carry on a conversation. Thanks for listening. Oh, May is 85, and was diagnosed with PD about two years ago. She is doing well on Sinemet.