With the flick of a switch, what looks to be an ordinary room becomes a magical space to be your true authentic self and live the life you choose without any outside distractions.
This wondrous room, known as a Snoezelen Room, is a specialized multi-sensory environment for all ages and abilities, offering a safe and stimulating atmosphere through captivating music and sounds, fascinating aromas, illuminating light effects, tactile experiences, vibrosonic sensations, and interactive games and movement.
The Snoezelen Room experience can look a lot different depending on the participant. The user is able to self-regulate, explore and relax in an environment where there is no pressure to achieve and can experience sensory stimulation at their own pace to either stimulate, relax, calm, or energize the body.
Kyle with Jennilea, a member of his support team.
For one hour a day Kyle navigates through the room with Twain’s most popular country music booming through the speakers, colourful and vibrant lights beaming into the bubble tubes, enthusiastic dance moves and singing through the microphone, giving him a sense of control and energy to fuel the rest of his day.
“In the Snoezelen Room I like to sing, dance and listen to music. The room makes me feel happy and calm and gives me a sense of control. I choose what I want to do” says Kyle.
Snoezelen Therapy originated in Holland in the 1980’s and has since have shown significant benefits for adults and children with learning and intellectual disabilities including an increased sense of self-control, increased exploration, improved attention span and a reduction in challenging behaviours.
“The Snoezelen Room allows Kyle to shine in that part in his life and provides him that control. He’s able to share with us what he wants to do and it really sets his day up to be successful” says Jennilea, a member of Kyle’s support team.
Community Living Wallaceburg’s Snoezelen Room has been operating since 2003. Sean Dantas, a Personal Planning Facilitator at Community Living Wallaceburg shares that right now “all of the people that Community Living Wallaceburg currently supports have access to this space.”
While the Community Living Wallaceburg Snoezelen Room has become an incredible resource integrated into the daily lives of many people supported, the Agency has announced its plan to renovate the room and renew the equipment so they are better able to expand its resources to everyone in the community.
Dantas explains, “We are going to be offering this space to schools and other community groups. Snoezelen experiences can be impactful for older adults living with dementia or a brain injury, as well as students with attention-deficit or hyperactivity disorder.”
Community Living Wallaceburg’s Snoezelen Room before renovations and rendering of the future Snoezelen space.
Although this means the Snoezelen Room is going to be under construction for a short period of time, Kyle says he is excited about the new bean bag chair, speakers and to check out “what type of microphones there are!”
The renewal and community expansion of Community Living Wallaceburg’s Snoezelen space will not only help improve the quality of life of the hundreds of people supported across Chatham-Kent and Sarnia-Lambton, but many community groups in the area as well so they are able to experience the same feeling Kyle does every time he steps into that room.
To learn more about Community Living Wallaceburg’s Snoezelen Room Campaign click HERE
To become a Snoezelen champion and make a charitable donation online click HERE