Watching a loved one suffer from the memory loss caused by Alzheimer's Disease (AD) can be a devastating and heart-breaking experience. When it comes time to finding professional help to care for a loved one with AD, the choices you may have to make can be tough. If you are caring for an elderly loved one that is suffering with AD, you should know that choosing assisted living facilities that provide sensory therapy, such as Haven Care, is a good idea. Learn why someone suffering with AD can benefit a great deal from a kind of therapy that includes using all five senses.
What Is Sensory Therapy?
Sensory therapy is an alternative treatment that focuses on the five senses for creating a soothing environment that helps AD sufferers relax. People with AD normally do not have short term memory recall and for many, accessing their long term memory can be difficult as well. Through sensory therapy, however, long term memories can be stimulated enough that a person suffering with AD is able to talk about their memories with the friends and family. Sensory therapy aims to provide your loved one with with experiences that induce relaxing and stress-free experiences. The following are ways sensory therapy is used to help your loved one:
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Touch: Touching a soft object like fleece or the fur of a cat can be helpful to soothe the anxiety that comes with AD. Many caregivers have trouble caring for AD loved ones due to bursts of severe anger and frustration. For a person suffering with AD, not being able to convey their feelings or needs can be upsetting, even when that person has no idea exactly what they want. High stress can cause greater health problems, so working to reduce stress and anxiety is best. Touching soft materials can reduce anxiety while promoting a feeling of relaxation.
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Smell: Aromatherapy has been found to help soothe people suffering with dementia, a huge benefit for patients experiencing high levels of anger and frustration because of their inability to communicate their feelings. Essential oils like that of lemon can provide a soothing invigoration while Bergamot oil is wonderful for massage to induce restful sleep.
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Sight: Images of clouds floating a brilliant blue sky can promote feeling of ease for anyone, but for someone with AD, the relaxation can be great. Many assisted living homes are integrating Snoezelen Rooms to provide sensory therapy for their patients suffering with AD and dementia, an integration that has amazing benefits for patients and their families. Bubble tubes that change colors is one type of sight situation used in these rooms that has shown beneficial results in patients for perking their interest and working their brain.
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Hearing: Music has long been described as a universal language and when it comes to AD patients, it has never been a true statement. For patients that have trouble conveying their emotions, music can soothe them and provide the stage for them to relax and recall memories that certain music can remind them of.
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Taste: If you have ever bitten into a food and found it reminded you of being someplace or being with someone, you have experienced how sensory therapy works using taste. For example, if you give your loved one a taste of cotton candy, that person may be able to recall fond memories of being at a state fair. Elderly AD sufferers may have many memories float back to them when they taste certain foods, especially those foods they have eaten all their life instead of new foods like those that might come from fast food restaurants or different cultures.
As your loved one's caregiver, you may find the responsibility extremely heavy when it comes to AD. While placing your family member in an assisted facility may bring about feelings of guilt for you, always keep in mind that some aspects of professional ADS care is best for that person, especially if the facility provides sensory therapy.
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