How can sensory stimulus be beneficial

Have group games, debates, quizzes and concerts. Smell Be aware of the power of scents and aromas. Place scented flowers in the facility. Use aromatherapy. Use perfumed massage creams and oils. Create a sensory garden with herbs.

Be aware of the pleasure of food smells like coffee, fresh herbs and lemon. Changes you can make. Designing for dementia. Strategies, checklists and tools. Activities - living with meaning and purpose. On this site. Well for life Well for life is a toolkit for health and aged care professionals who work with older people, with information and resources to promote healthy ageing. Speak to our friendly support team. Login Signup.

Exploring the benefits of sensory play. Posted by Goodstart 12 March Previous article. Next article. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.

Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Imagine that you just walked into your favorite Italian restaurant. When you first walk through the door, the delicious smell of garlic and tomatoes is almost overwhelming. You sit down to wait for a table, and after a few minutes, the scents begin to dissipate until you barely notice them.

This is an example of sensory adaptation. Simply feeling the texture and weight of the shell in their hands or bringing it up to their ear can strengthen their cognitive abilities without even knowing it.

In addition to evoking positive feelings, sensory stimulation can also help people with dementia communicate.

By using certain objects, sensory stimulation can help seniors who are struggling to communicate and relate to the world around them ask questions, respond to verbal clues, or remain calm in a stressful situation. Other benefits of sensory stimulation include:.

Depending on whether someone is in early or more advanced stages of memory loss, some activities are more suitable and appropriate than others. Sensory stimulation activities can include:. Sensory stimulation is intended to bring joy to people living with dementia, reduce anxiety and depression, and increase communication.