Rand Aid residents has therapeutic fun
“It was a wonderful morning with faces lit up by smiles and plenty of socialising.”
Thornhill Manor Retirement Village residents reported feeling relaxed after visiting and spending time in the Snoezelen multi-sensory room at Rand Aid’s Thembalami Care Centre.
Snoezelen equipment incorporates sound, smell, movement, light and texture to expose a person to stimuli in a comfortable environment and has several therapeutic uses.
The term Snoezelen is a contraction of the Dutch verbs ‘snuffelen’ (to seek or explore) and ‘doezelen’ (to relax).
Thembalami Care Centre celebrated the opening of its Snoezelen room shortly before Alzheimer’s Month, commemorated in September.
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Most of the funds used to establish the room were donated by the estate of the late Sully O’Sullivan, a former Rand Aid Inyoni Creek resident.
Leading up to World Alzheimer’s Month, Thornhill Manor Retirement Village held several awareness and fundraising events.
The largest was an Alzheimer’s walk that included Thornhill Manor and Thembalami residents.
A portion of the funds raised at the events were donated to Thembalami’s Snoezelen room.
“We used the funds to buy interactive toys designed to be accessible and engaging for individuals of varying abilities,” said Thornhill Manor’s social worker, Karen Griessel.
Karen and Vicky Keenan, a retired occupational therapist who lives at Thornhill Manor and volunteers her time to Rand Aid, were excited to see and experience the room. They recently visited the care centre, along with two other village residents.
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“Our residents were in awe of the room, which can be either stimulating or relaxing. They reported a decrease in anxiety, worries and concerns,” said Griessel.
She said Snoezelen equipment is often used for Alzheimer’s and dementia care. This is because it creates a safe, mood-enhancing environment.
Vicky, the driving force behind Thornhill Manor’s occupational therapy (OT) group, Happy Chatters, and who knows her way around a DIY workshop, also contributed some of her handcrafted OT games.
“She gathered a crowd, with Thembalami residents playing games and enjoying themselves. It was a wonderful morning with faces lit up by smiles and plenty of socialising,” says Griessel.
Thembalami’s social worker Lara Hurwitz said Snoezelen therapy is used daily at socialising in the centre.
“It’s used specifically for our residents living with dementia, and the majority respond most positively to the experience,” she said.
