Snoezelen
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photo: 's Heeren Loo
Introduction
The theme of this research project is snoezelen and how it is used in practice. The purpose of snoezelen is to provide sensory stimuli (stimuli that you can hear, see, feel, smell and taste), often in a specially-designed snoezelen room.
Subprojects
This research project comprises two subprojects:
1. A literature study to gain insight into the application and efficacy of snoezelen in certain target groups, such as people with an intellectual disability, dementia or non-congenital brain damage.
2. An international questionnaire to gain insight into how snoezelen is offered in practice to people with an intellectual disability. This questionnaire is to be completed by healthcare professionals and parents/relatives.
Benefits to practice
This research project will generate a broad overview of the way in which snoezelen is used and the impact it can have. A survey of the literature and the way in which snoezelen is used in practice will result in:
• a description of one or more forms of snoezelen
• insight into the stimulating and inhibiting factors and possible effects of snoezelen
• a contribution to the formulation of a suitable approach to research into the efficacy of using snoezelen with people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities
About the researcher
What is your role within the Academic Collaborative Centre related to people with PIMD?
I am a scientist
practitioner within the Academic Collaborative Center PIMD related to people with PIMD. I work part-time as a researcher and part-time as an occupational therapist at ’s Heeren Loo.Together with Gerdine Douma and Annet ten Brug, I am conducting research into the effects of snoezelen. Snoezelen is often used in practice, but little is known about its effects.
What do you hope to achieve?
I hope to help develop an effective and practical form of snoezelen that can be offered to people with PIMD. I am committed to conducting research into activities and environments that will offer people with PIMD the opportunity to experience new things, to learn and to have fun.