Recreation Department Highlights
Therapeutic Recreation: What is Sensory Stimulation By Megan Tower, Recreation Therapist
Benefit: Pet therapy provides comfort and support, decreases cortisol levels, and alleviates psychological symptoms that come with being on a ventilator, such as pain, sadness, and feelings of grief.
Auditory Stimulation: Being read to, white noise machines, soft music, poetry, TV programs.
As a Recreational Therapist working on a tracheostomy and ventilator long term care unit, the number one question is, what activities do you provide to your residents? We provide multiple sensory-related activities. The activities provided to the residents have many benefits that stimulate their social, cognitive, spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. Several sensory programs take place in our tracheostomy and ventilator unit. Each program on the unit is designed and implemented with each resident’s unique interests and needs in mind. Some of the benefits of these activities that are provided are as follows:
Benefits: Increases alertness, attention, memory, cognitive abilities, behavioral regulations, emotional processing, and stress management.
Tactile Stimulation: Textured cloth, plants, water, tactile board, fidget toys.
Benefits: Uses touch to promote positive interactions with tangible items. Increases awareness of objects and textures. Increases positive mood and positively stimulates the brain.
Aroma Therapy: Plants, oils, perfumes, scratch and sniff cards.
Benefit: Increases positive emotions such as relaxation and happiness. Decreases feelings of stress and depression. Increases quality of sleep.
Music Therapy: Radio, CDs, live music performances, singing, learning about musicians.
Benefit: Aids in memory recall, boosts dopamine, increases motivation and blood flow to parts of the brain that regulate emotions.
Visual Sensory: Change of scenery, videos, picture books, magazines.
Benefit: This form of sensory stimulation aids in concentration and focus, calms individuals who are experiencing emotions such as anger and aggression, and aids in eye coordination
Pet Therapy: Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, donkeys, horses, reptiles, and many more.
RESIDENT REFLECTIONS • 2023, ISSUE 2 • PAGE 13 Bergen New Bridge Medical Center • 230 East Ridgewood Avenue • Paramus, NJ 07652 • NewBridgeHealth.org
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