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“Paradise Room”
Published in Paul A. Rodgers, Design for People Living with Dementia, 2022
One of the models providing sensory stimulation that is well-known and popular in dementia care is the multi-sensory environment (MSE) – also called Snoezelen or sensory room. The concept of the MSE was developed in the Netherlands in the 1970s as a non-cognitive leisure activity for people with learning disabilities – aiming to provide an enabling and positive environment that places fewer demands on intellectual abilities (Hulsegge and Verheul, 1987). Since then, the application has been widened for a range of user groups, including people living with dementia. Containing a range of sensorial stimuli (such as coloured lights, soft furniture, sound, and scents), it is a purposefully designed space where sensory stimulation can be provided under controlled conditions (e.g. changing intensity or colour of light) to moderate overactive (e.g. anxious) or underactive (e.g. apathetic) behaviour. Within this text, the MSE is referred to as sensory room, as this is the most common term used in dementia care.
Spatial organisation of “therapeutic” spaces for autistic children in special schools: lessons learnt from the united kingdom experience
Published in Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 2023
Reiko Shimokura, Kaname Yanagiawa, Shinko Sasaki
Quiet and small spaces that reduce sensory overload are beneficial for helping children with autism to remain calm. On the other hand, sensory rooms that provide sensory inputs, developed by Hulsegge and Verheul (1987) and known as Snoezelen, can allow children with ASD to feel comfortable and relaxed. In the 1970s, Ayres (1972) noted that children with developmental disabilities, including autistic children, have difficulty processing sensory information, and thus developed sensory integration therapy, known as Ayres Sensory Integration, which involves physical activities (Lane et al. 2019). Trampolines and balance beams are commonly used for gross motor activities to develop coordination skills. In addition, performing the same action repeatedly is one of the characteristics of autistic children, and allowing them to do so is also a way of calming them down (Lovaas 1987). From the above, there are many ways to help children with ASD remain calm. Accordingly, special schools should have a variety of therapeutic spaces.
Can a Virtual Nature Experience Reduce Anxiety and Agitation in People With Dementia?
Published in Journal of Housing For the Elderly, 2018
Lori Reynolds, Susan Rodiek, Monica Lininger, Ms Aubrey McCulley
A prevalent strategy for managing the negative emotions and behaviors associated with dementia is the use of antipsychotic and benzodiazepine medications, which the Food and Drug Administration and others have found to be of limited effectiveness. In addition, these pharmacologic treatments are associated with cardiac side effects, increased mortality, and exacerbation of cognitive decline (Alzheimer's Association, 2015; Livingston et al., 2014). There are a variety of nonpharmacologic, person-centered, behavior management strategies available to manage the negative emotions and behaviors associated with dementia; however, there is limited evidence-based support for them (Cohen-Mansfield, Thein, Marx, Dakheel-Ali, & Freedman, 2012; King, 2012; Lloyd & Stirling, 2015; Maslow, K., 2013). Strategies with some evidence to support their effectiveness include individualized, generation-specific music and the use of massage and touch (Livingston et al., 2005). Other strategies, which lack rigorous research to support their effectiveness, include validation therapy, cognitive stimulation, reminiscence therapy, and multisensory rooms (snoezelen) (Livingston, et al., 2005). Snoezelen rooms contain equipment that provides sensory input to either calm or stimulate an individual's sensory system. For individuals with dementia, this input may fulfill unmet sensory needs, which in turn may reduce negative emotions and behaviors associated with the disease process. However, support for this approach is primarily anecdotal and lacks quantitative research to support it, as confirmed in two systematic reviews of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials (Chung & Lai, 2002; & Olazarán et al., 2010).