Alzheimer's DementiaSnoezelen

Multisensory stimulation for patients with Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers from the University of Missouri, Kansas City measured changes in inappropriate behavior.

First, the details.

  • Patients with Alzheimer’s disease living in a long-term care facility were assigned to a treatment group.
    • Exposure to a multisensory stimulation environment
    • No exposure to a multisensory stimulation environment
  • Documented disruptive behavior included pacing, exit-seeking activities, hitting, yelling, and aggressive talking.

And, the results.

  • Exposure to a multisensory stimulation environment was associated with fewer incidences of disruptive behavior, but not the behaviors present.

The bottom line?

The authors concluded, “The use of these interventions [multisensory stimulation environment], where feasible, should be considered prior to the use of pharmacological methods.”

There’s disagreement over the value of multisensory stimulation environment (also called Snoezelen), as discussed here.

2/15/10 22:02 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.