title: Multisensory environments for leisure: promoting well-being in nursing home residents with dementia.
abstract: Multisensory environments such as Snoezelen rooms are becoming increasingly popular in health care facilities for older individuals. There is limited reliable evidence of the benefits of such innovations, and the effect they have on residents, caregivers, and visitors in these facilities. This two-stage project examined how effective two types of multisensory environments were in improving the well-being of older individuals with dementia. The two multisensory environments were a Snoezelen room and a landscaped garden. These environments were compared to the experience of the normal living environment. The observed response of 24 residents with dementia in a nursing home was measured during time spent in the Snoezelen room, in the garden, and in the living room. In the second part of the project, face-to-face interviews were conducted with six caregivers and six visitors to obtain their responses to the multisensory environments. These interviews identified the components of the environments most used and enjoyed by residents and the ways in which they could be improved to maximize well-being.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Chronic Illness, Ageing and Health, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Savage
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D004779:Environment Design / Q000592:standards*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000592:standards; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings / Q000592:standards; D007899:Leisure Activities / Q000523:psychology*; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000592:standards*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012677:Sensation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria; D014789:Visitors to Patients / Q000523:psychology