Snoezelen Therapy

Dementia is a rapidly growing problem worldwide and the interventions to effectively manage and improve physical, social, emotional, and psychological health for this disease are urgently required (Collier, McPherson, Ellis-Hill, Staal, & Bucks, 2010). An innovative way to implement interventions that focus on these areas is to encourage participation in therapeutic activities, such as Snoezelen Multisensory Therapy. Multisensory Environments (MSEs) have been used extensively for people with dementia. The use of multisensory stimulation for individuals with dementia has become increasingly more popular over the past decade. Snoezelen multisensory environments aim to stimulate the primary senses through pleasurable sensory experiences; they

This room can also be referred to as a “Snoezelen room.” Snoezelen rooms are designed to deliver stimuli to our various senses. The specific design of a Snoezelen room uses unique lighting effects, bright colors, soothing sounds and/or music, and relaxing scents to relax the body. Snoezelen therapy is always controlled by the participant, it is a non-directive therapy. MSE can be staged to provide a multi-sensory experience or single sensory focus. The therapist’s job is to adapt the lighting, atmosphere, sounds, and textures to the specific needs of the participant. Snoezelen therapy or MSE has no formal therapeutic goals. The focus, however, is to assist participants in gaining a beneficial experience that may enable them to apply their new feelings to daily life (i.e. decreasing agitated behavior). An advantage to Snoezelen therapy is that it does not rely on verbal communication. Therapists can use Snoezelen therapy for dementia patients who may be non-verbal, as it could improve other forms of communication and overall physical functioning. MSE aims to maximize a person’s potential to focus on his or her own free will and to engage in a various stimulating activities.
The defining principles of the MSE help the therapist to focus attention on the basic elements of this approach. There are six main principles; these include: 1. The experience takes place in a specific physical environment, 2. The attitude of the practitioners is “client-centered,” 3. Stimuli must be controlled according to the clients needs, 4. The MSE is a medium for communication, 5. The sensory environment is neither positive nor negative, and 6. The practitioner relies on the client’s point of view (Russell & Cohn,