How does Snoezle provide help in a large care facility? S&L Care talks about their experiences.
René van Donschot is KICK manager (customer, innovation, communication & quality) at S&L Care. More than 350 people with a mental disability can receive intermural care at the largest care facility in West Brabant (Netherlands ).
"In our care environments live people with all kinds of levels. Also people who have physical difficulties in addition to a mental disability. For those clients, a trip to our snoezel room is not an obvious choice. Fortunately, Snoezle provides the ideal solution for that."
Alternative to snooze room
The pendulum team visited us to test in practice how Snoezle could also be used for bedridden clients or people in wheelchairs. On that test day we immediately realized that Snoezle offers a lot of advantages, so we immediately bought 5 of them. We do have fully equipped snoozle rooms in our domains. Very effective and relaxing, but the clients have to get into the room. And that's not always easy.
Lifting clients out of bed, into the wheelchair. Then transporting across the grounds, lifting from the wheelchair onto the bed: a very time-consuming and labor-intensive work for the caregivers, but also very tiring for the client. After that process, the client better take a nap, because he/she is completely exhausted.
Snoezelen at the right time
So you see, snoezle involves difficulties in reality. Snoezle takes the obstacle into account. The mobility, the fact that you can place the tent on a tripod, the simple operation ... All elements that make the product an added value for the care environment. Caregivers can now let clients rest when they really need it.
Our clients live here in a group setting, but every now and then someone needs a moment to himself, in seclusion from the group. At that moment too, Snoezle is a welcome solution. The caregiver can allow the client to snoezle in their own room or at a distance from the group. The client then calms down, while the caregiver can refocus his attention on the rest of the group. Everyone is happy at that moment.
Additional day care activity
At S&L Care, care starts from the needs of the client. However, it takes a lot of creativity from the team to work out the ideal daytime activities for the residents, day in and day out. We are very satisfied with Snoezle, because the product adds an extra, individual and creative activity to our program.
Snoezle is not suitable for every resident, everyone has different preferences. But 1 Snoezle is guaranteed to bring peace to a whole range of clients, as wards sometimes pass their Snoezle to each other.
And a snooze room might work more intensely, but the difficult transfers then detract from the great concept. Bedridden clients can barely, if ever, enjoy such a moment. So we rate Snoezle as a full replacement! Snoezle also lets users unwind anyway, lets clients escape for a while from the busy situation they find less pleasant.
Specific case
In the residential environment of people with EMB (severe multiple disabilities), Snoezle has become a fixture. People who are really housebound live there. Their day care is therefore not at another location, but simply in another room in front of the house. If you wanted to take that group outside, you would need an army of staff and volunteers.
For them, Snoezle really is a fantastic phenomenon, because their world is even more limited compared to other clients. They go outside even less, can barely enjoy the snoozle room. If you can offer them a moment of rest in Snoezle, it's really a relief. The client can relax in his or her own bedroom, in bed or in a wheelchair, without the constant presence of a supervisor.
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