As Alzheimer’s disease and dementia progress and cognitive abilities continue to decline, it becomes increasingly difficult to perform routine tasks. It also becomes harder to communicate and interact socially with others. This can be a stressful and isolating experience for the patient suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
Sensory stimulation therapy can provide an engaging and enjoyable way to encourage interaction and emotional expression by invoking pleasant memories and reducing feelings of isolation and anxiety.
Sensory stimulation therapy uses everyday objects and gentle activities to stimulate one or more of our five senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch. This engagement can help trigger pleasant memories, facilitate non-verbal communication and contribute to a sense of meaning and connection. Sensory stimulation has been shown to decrease agitation, reduce restlessness and even improve sleep.
Dementia care experts are in strong agreement that involvement in a good sensory stimulation program can greatly improve a patient’s quality of life experience by providing meaningful, memorable activities in a socially engaging setting.
Millennium Memory Care’s innovative Six Senses Program helps residents orient to their world through the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing and movement with plans tailored for the specific needs of each individual resident. This program reflects MMC’s individualized holistic care approach which is designed to address and care for the whole patient, and not just the disease.