Snoezelen Rooms for Alzheimer’s Patients.

Imagine walking into a room that caters to all your senses. Maybe there is gentle music playing or the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling. You can smell fresh flowers or lavender. The walls are covered with large murals of forests, waterfalls, and gardens. And there are soft plush pillows and cushions scattered around to sit or lay on. There is nothing harsh or threatening in this room. It is a ’snoezelen room’.

Created in the Netherlands in the 1970s, these multisensory rooms were originally designed for children and adults with serious mental disabilities. The ideas was to provide a soothing but stimulating environment for non-directive therapy. There was a place for everything in these rooms -from lava lamps and bubble tubes to home movies, interactive art, birds in cages, fish tanks, and colorful mobiles.

Today, many health professionals and caregiviers find that these rooms are a great place for Alzheimer’s patients suffering from agitation and the need to wander. The lighting, sounds, and smells can be adapted to the individual patient. In particular, it has been found to be most beneficial for patients suffering from ’sundowners syndrome’.

Want to know more. Check out these sites and articles:

A Room Comes Alive with Color and Sounds

Have you ever snoezelened?

An Adventure in Snoezelen Therapy

You’ve got the equipment, now how do you launch the program?

Snoezelen