LAI307 - Multi-Sensory Stimulation Rooms for Persons with Dementia

In this session, participants will learn how sensory stimulation impacts the person living with dementia.  Participants will learn how to set up a room or a space in their community using best practice design principles.  This session will offer a “design on a dime” approach to a sensory room and demonstrate to providers how to set up a room or space of their own so they can further impact the quality of life of persons with dementia without relying on pharmacology.

Presented on February 25, 2021

Sensory stimulation uses everyday objects to arouse one or more of the five senses with the goal of either engaging or calming an individual.  Multi-sensory stimulation rooms or spaces are designed for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia so they can safely explore and stimulate all five senses.  The room combines gentle light, movement, music, aromas and tactile objects designed to either calm or stimulate individuals, depending on each person’s needs.  Some ways in which the sensory room has shown to be a positive health promotion tool are through creating a safe place for the patient to go, encouraging a positive therapeutic relationship between staff and patient, providing a place to teach skills and conduct therapeutic activities, establishing a place where crisis de-escalation strategies can be implemented, and helping to promote self-care and recovery.  Activities involved in sensory stimulation are often linked to past interests and can help the person with dementia to build a connection with everyday life while reducing anxiety. 

There are a variety of activities and equipment that can be used in this setting and there are many ways the room can be set up to help individualize the sensory room to the person using it.  Often times, multi-sensory rooms are designed in collaboration with a vendor and the result is something that appears juvenile or possibly futuristic with the use of high-tech light displays and gadgets.  It doesn’t have to be that way!  The number one principle in designing a space is “less is more.”

In this session, participants will learn how sensory stimulation impacts the person living with dementia.  Participants will learn how to set up a room or a space in their community using best practice design principles.  This session will offer a “design on a dime” approach to a sensory room and demonstrate to providers how to set up a room or space of their own so they can further impact the quality of life of persons with dementia without relying on pharmacology.

Objectives

• Identify calming and stimulating sensory interventions for persons with dementia.
• List the benefits of multi-sensory stimulation for persons living with dementia.
• Enumerate design principles to consider when designing a multi-sensory space.
• Recognize everyday objects, activities, low-tech and sensory inputs to include in a multi-sensory environment to facilitate purposeful engagement.

Faculty

Kathleen Weissberg, MS, OTD, OTR/L, CMDCP, CDP, National Director of Education, Select Rehabilitation

Who Should Attend
Administrators, Social Workers, Activities, DONs, ADONs, Nursing Staff, Unit Managers, Caregivers, and Staff Educators.  Appropriate for nursing home, assisted living, home and community based services and adult day providers.

Continuing Education Credit
Nursing Home Administrators – This session is intended to meet the criteria established by the Iowa Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators for 1 contact hour for each webinar.  You must attend the entire session to receive credit.  No partial credit allowed.  Retain certificate for four years.

Iowa Board of Nursing Provider #67 – 1 contact hour for each webinar.  Providership regulations do not allow for partial credit to be given for any portion of this program.  You must attend the entire session to receive credit.  Retain certificate for four years.

Social Workers – 1 contact hour.  This program is intended to meet the criteria established by the Iowa Board of Social Work Examiners.  If audited, you will be asked to provide your certificate of attendance and program material.  You must attend the entire session to receive credit.  Retain certificate for four years.

Assisted Living Leadership Recertification – 1 contact hour.  You must attend the entire session to receive credit. 

Registration Information
This program recording is approximately 60 minutes in length. Registration fees include access to the recording and handouts for this program, as well as a CEU/attendance certificate for one user. Once you purchase the program, unlimited viewing of the recording content will be available using the registrant login information for 30 days.