If your loved one is receiving dementia care, one of the ways to enhance their happiness is through sensory stimulation. This form of therapy provides various activities that awaken the senses. Here is what you should know about these techniques and their benefits. 

Types of Sensory Stimulation for Dementia Care 

Vestibular stimulation occurs through physical movement, and proprioceptive stimulation affects muscles and joints. Taking a walk with an individual receiving dementia care provides enjoyment and strengthens the body, giving your loved one both types of stimulation. A stroll offers a change of activity; is a low-stress exercise; improves blood flow; and can boost the mind's ability to remember forgotten people, places, or events. 

Tactile stimulation involves touch, visual engages sight, and auditory addresses the ability to hear. Encouraging your loved one to play an instrument, such as a piano, recorder, or drum, encompasses these senses in a fun way. Olfactory stimulation promotes the sense of smell, and gustatory stimulation involves tasting. You can stimulate these senses through smelling flowers, picking and tasting fruit, or cooking and eating meals, which also provides social interaction.    

Benefits

When people with advanced dementia are unable to do what they used to enjoy, they can become distressed and frustrated. Sensory stimulation helps them concentrate, communicate, and participate more fully in their daily activities. Stimulating activities also improve memory recall and socialization, giving loved ones who are receiving dementia care a feeling of more control and independence. Incorporating these elements into a daily routine helps seniors improve their quality of life. The activities offer them pleasurable events to anticipate, bring them joy, and renew their sense of self and purpose.

If your loved one needs dementia care, turn to the assisted living professionals at Rivers of Life. This locally owned senior housing serves residents of Savage and Prior Lake, MN, and features specialized memory care and sensory stimulation activities in a safe and nurturing community. Their staff is dedicated to providing what residents need in an environment that offers the comforts of home. For more information, visit the website. Call (952) 380-8698 to schedule an appointment.