The Snoezelen multisensory rooms are interactive spaces designed to stimulate the senses, with the aim of improving the quality of life of people with disabilities and older people with severe cognitive impairment or dementia, whose motor and neurological abilities are affected.
The senses allow us to communicate and interact with our environment. In this way, through lights, aromas, music or sounds and textures, the Snoezelen multisensory rooms recreate an atmosphere that provides pleasant experiences that promote emotional well-being and stimulate people’s abilities, both physical and cognitive.
The Snoezelen multisensory rooms are a valuable resource, “which allow therapists to create relaxed and pleasant environments, physically and cognitively accessible, that stimulate the senses and facilitate the interaction of older people with their environment, with their families, with other residents and even with the caregivers,”. More specifically, older people can work on memory, communication and even psychomotor coordination.
More and more residential centers have Snoezelen multisensory rooms, because they help professionals achieve their therapeutic goals and improve adherence to treatments.
Benefits of the Snoezelen multisensory rooms for people with Alzheimer’s
Sensory stimulation is especially beneficial in people with Alzheimer’s or severe cognitive impairment, who have difficulties controlling their psychomotor skills. This type of dementia alters cognitive, behavioral and emotional abilities and Snoezelen multisensory rooms allow these aspects to be addressed and stimulated.
When Alzheimer’s is in an advanced stage, it is difficult for the person to understand their surroundings and communicate. Therefore, stimuli as basic as a scent and a song that evoke memories or a moving light that awakens curiosity are a great advance; above all, because they also invite the user to choose which element of their environment makes them feel better or more comfortable, which provides invaluable information to their caregivers.
“The possibility of choice improves the self-esteem and self-control of residents, which reduces stress and improves their mood. Therefore, the Snoezelen multisensory rooms help people with Alzheimer’s to maintain contact with their environment and, above all, to ensure that their brain continues to be receptive to stimuli,” emphasizes Dr. Pérez.
5 Elements offered by the Snoezelen multisensory rooms
Starting from the five senses, the Snoezelen multisensory rooms offer professionals different elements that facilitate the achievement of their therapeutic objectives:
• View: fiber optics, bubble tubes that change color, projecting effect discs.
• Touch: texture panels, boxes with different products of different sizes, shapes and textures.
• Smell: aroma diffuser.
• Taste: biters and chewers.
• Hearing: musical panels, instruments, ambient music, water bed with vibration in time with the music.
