Sensory
Stimulation
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Our senses (sight, sound, touch,
taste and smell) play a major role in our behavior. Whether we feel good, bad,
sad, or bored often depends on our senses; which sense is being stimulated and
to what degree. Soft lighting, soothing background music, and the smell of
cinnamon rolls baking is going to initiate a different behavioral response than
bright lights, rock-n-roll and the smell of car fumes. We
use stimulation to pump us up or slow us down. We are constantly adjusting
the stimuli around us. When we want to "set the mood" we are playing with our
senses. Stimulating our senses with the kinds of things to bring about
that certain feeling we want.
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We place in our
hands things to entertain or calm us.
We read magazines and books; we
watch television or rent a videos. Many of us have hobbies and pets that fill our time
and stimulate us. Then there are our boats, motorcycles, and cars what some of
us call our adult toys. |
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John Denver had a
song," You Fill Up My Senses" When you think about it, your senses are full when
you are in love. You like the way the person looks, sounds, feels, smells and
tastes.
The people
we surround our selves with, the color we paint our walls, the tempatiture of
the thermostat or a scented plug-in, in one way or another we are trying
to control our external stimuli.
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The
human brain is fueled from stimulation. It doesn't do well at
all without it...In fact it shuts down or dies. |
People with Alzheimer's Disease can no longer control their external
stimuli. They can no longer fill up their senses. That becomes our job as
caregivers.
How do you fill up their senses?
To answer this question you must understand were their mind has gone.
Putting an age to the stage will
make your job easier.
Snoezelen Concept
Examples of comfort tapes
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