Castlemanor Nursing Home recently opened a multi-sensory room, known as a Snoezelen Room to help enhance the lives of residents with dementia. The room was installed thanks to funding from Gerry Sheridan, of Ice Cream Treats, following a series of charity events. Gerry’s father Philip is also a resident in Castlemanor. Catherine Dunleavy, clinical operations manager at Trinity Care who operate Castlemanor Nursing Home, explained how the room works: “People with dementia have difficulty taking in, processing and expressing information, as well as communicating with others. This is a way of communicating because it works on the other senses.
“It was initially used for people with intellectual disabilities, with responsive behaviours. Then people looked at its uses across the board and found it could be beneficial for people with dementia who may have responsive behaviours. If they’re upset they need to be in a calm and quiet environment, especially if the environment they are in is too challenging. The sensory room takes them away from that and allow people with dementia to communicate and have better relationships with their families.”
