The implementation of snoezelen in psychogeriatric care: an evaluation through the eyes of caregivers

Abstract

Many intervention studies lack an investigation of the extent to which the intervention was implemented as intended, which makes outcome measures difficult to interpret. The aim of the present study was to gain insight into the implementation process of snoezelen in 24-h dementia care. The intervention in each of six experimental wards comprised training sessions in 'snoezelen for caregivers', evaluated using a questionnaire. To study experience with implementation, the follow-up and general meetings (20 in total) were attended and semi-structured interviews (six in total) were conducted. The results indicated that the implementation of snoezelen effected a change from task-oriented care to resident-oriented care. The nursing assistants also experienced changes at the resident level and organisational changes. However, the lack of intervention in the organisational structure and obstructive factors such as understaffing seemed to get in the way of the integration of multi-sensory stimulation in the daily care in two of the six wards. r

Effects of snoezelen, integrated in 24h dementia care, on nurse–patient communication during morning care

“…During the implementation period of snoezelen, a lot of attention was given to the application of a stimulus preference screening to find out which sensory stimuli the resident liked most, the development of a snoezel care plan and organizational adaptations to be able to apply the new care model [44]. The present study shows that the CNAs used the communication principles underlying snoezelen, 18 months after the training.…”

“…They mentioned that, when a battle during the morning care can be avoided and the resident becomes in a good mood during the care routines, the rest of the day progresses more smoothly too. They also reported that they were still able to get their work finished [44]. Additional analysis revealed that CNAs of the experimental group perceived less time pressure, fewer problems caused by lack of time, fewer stress reactions and less emotional exhaustion after the implementation of snoezelen than those of the control group [56].…”

“…The post-test was planned 18 months after the pre-test, because this period was considered to be the minimum time needed for successful implementation of the new care model [43,44], e.g., to improve skills and to change habits.…”

“…In addition, there were two general meetings, attended by three representatives of each nursing home (e.g., head nurses, care managers) to support the implementation of snoezelen at the organizational level. Details about the intervention have been described elsewhere [44].…”

Intervenção Snoezelen em pessoas idosas institucionalizadas: bem-estar e utilidades instantâneas e recordadas

“…Por outro lado, as salas de Snoezelen não dispõem ainda de validação satisfatória, situação agravada quando os beneficiários são pessoas idosas institucionalizadas (Van Weert, et al, 2004).…”