Question: In adults with a diagnosis of dementia, how effective are multi-sensory interventions, compared to any other intervention, in improving patient outcomes?

Answer:

No definite clinical implications can be made from the available evidence. Data from one well conducted RCT suggested that calm music or hand massage may be used alone or to augment an individualised therapeutic regimen for nursing home residents with dementia. The authors stated that both interventions require little training and are easily administered, with minimal cost. One well-conducted SR found that there was very little evidence to evaluate the efficacy of snoezelen. There is general consensus that more high quality research is needed to examine the efficacy of snoezelen, or multisensory stimulation rooms/environments, on people with dementia. In addition, authors stated that new research should be developed to examine the similarities and differences between the multisensory stimulation environment (MSSE) carried out in special rooms and the MSSE integrated in the daily care and to compare their effects.

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To view relevant national guidelines, click Related Links, below.

To view the Cochrane review which is included in this summary, click Related Documents, below.