Here at The Mountains, we have started a regular weekly activity in the Garden Room.

The session, led by Louise Money, a trained Dance and Movement Therapist, and supported by the staff members, is especially for the residents living with the advanced stages of dementia. The Garden Room is kept calm and quiet, allowing the participants to relax and enjoy a special sensory experience. We scent the room with lavender and play gentle music to encourage relaxation. The sessions include interaction with sensory objects such as colourful scarves, soft cuddly toys, bubbles, and singing and gentle movement. We massage the hands of the participants, brush their hair and talk to them about what we are doing and recount stories we’ve heard about them from staff or relatives.

This enables us to develop a strong and meaningful connection to the participants. In turn, we are rewarded by the most lovely smiles and laughter, chatter, and with some residents, the occasional sentence or word. We finish the session with the lights turned down and the battery candles alight, and will give a hand massage to each participant. Tea and snacks are also enjoyed.  Special equipment has been provided for this group and it is now stored in the activity room and only used during the sensory sessions for this group. Staff members visit regularly and are encouraged to take part and visitors are welcome to come and join us in the session.

We have sent out invitations to friends and family to join us for our sessions, as this offers the opportunity for visitors to spend time in a calm and relaxed atmosphere with their relatives and friends.