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Planning
Your Snoezelen® Environment
Snoezelen®
is meant to be a
flexible concept,
designed to meet
the needs of each
individual who will
be using it. As
equipment is chosen
within the parameters
of budget, space
and individual needs,
each Snoezelen® facility
will emerge as a
unique environment,
with no two exactly
alike. This is as
it should be. There
are certain design
considerations,
however, that are
common to most if
not all Snoezelen®
installations. To
allow you to benefit
from the experience
of others, Flaghouse
Inc. offers
the following suggestions.
While the final
decisions regarding
your Snoezelen® are
yours to make, reading
over the following
may save you time,
money, and frustration.
Measuring
- In order to best
design and make
decisions regarding
your Snoezelen®,
it will be important
to be sure you are
working with accurate
measurements. Be
sure to measure
all angles and interruptions
in wall surfaces.
Planning
- The actual mix
of equipment in
your Snoezelen® facility
will fluctuate with
the needs of your
user group, and
budget/space considerations.
It is nonetheless
a good idea to begin
by making a complete
plan for your ideal
environment. This
will provide some
structure to your
purchasing and design
work, and can be
helpful in giving
direction to fundraisers
or donors.
Walls
- If you will be
using a solar projector,
mirror ball, or
other projected
light effects in
your Snoezelen®,
you may want to
paint the walls
white or a light
pastel to provide
a good reflective
surface on which
to project. For
a "white room",
walls do not need
to be padded. You
may want to pad
the walls of a soft
play room for safety,
or those of a very
small space to create
a soft "cocoon"
type atmosphere.
If ordering padding
for your room it
is imperative that
you measure properly.
It will improve
the atmosphere of
your room if you
eliminate as much
"visual clutter"
as possible from
wall surfaces (removable
lockers, storage
cabinets, etc. Fixed
wall structures
such as chalkboards
or bulletin boards
can be "covered"
by a projector screen(s).
Radiators, sinks,
and other built-ins
can be boxed over
with plywood painted
to match the walls.
If you will be able
to use only part
of the room for
your Snoezelen® environment,
you may want to
consider curtaining
that section off
from the rest of
the room.
Floor
and Seating Surfaces
- The needs and
abilities of the
population who will
be using your Snoezelen®
facility will be
the best source
of direction as
to floor covering.
If your population
is mostly ambulatory,
you will probably
not want to mat
most of the floor
surface. Mats are
somewhat tricky
for most of us to
maneuver; for someone
whose balance skills
are not great they
could be a real
problem. Bare floor
with some small
easily moveable
mats and beanbags
for seating by each
piece of equipment
may be the best
choice. Wall to
wall carpeting offers
another option with
a little more warmth.
Both of these surfaces
provide good accessibility
to wheelchairs and
gurneys, as well.
If the user population
is mostly non-ambulatory,
you may want to
consider including
several areas of
built-up matting
or covered benches,
or even floor mats
on lifts to accommodate
lifting/transfer
devices. The greater
the height of these
areas will make
transfer from wheelchair
easier for the staff.
Again, your choice
of seating surfaces
will be dictated
by the needs of
your population.
Mats provide good
relaxation surfaces
for younger walkers
and non-walkers
alike, while soft
chairs and benches
with backrests are
better for geriatric
users. For non-ambulatory
individuals in particular,
a variety of surfaces,
such as mats, water
beds, or billowing
cushions, will greatly
enhance enjoyment
and stimulation
from the Snoezelen®
experience.
Light
Control - Light
Control is an important
factor in obtaining
the best results
from you light effects
equipment. If possible,
the best choice
for a Snoezelen®
facility would be
a room with no windows.
This is not always
feasible, however.
Light from existing
windows can be dimmed
or eliminated in
various ways. White
vinyl room-darkening
shades or heavy
curtains can be
used. Windows can
be painted over
or "tiled" with
mirror tiles cut
to fit.
Not everyone is
ready to explore
in a darkened room.
For this reason,
it is a good idea
to install a dimmer
switch to work the
room lighting. This
allows you to adjust
the lighting to
the comfort level
of each individual
client, which will
be especially helpful
as you introduce
each person to this
brand new "world"
of experiences.
Choosing
Your Equipment
- Your choice of
equipment will be
one of the major
ways in which you
can tailor your
Snoezelen® environment
to the needs of
the individuals
with whom you work.
Your choices will
be determined by
the uses you foresee
for your Snoezelen®,
and by what you
hope to accomplish
there. Certainly,
personal preference
will also be a factor.
Equipment suggestions
are based on the
experience and the
feedback received
from those already
working in Snoezelen®
facilities and include
Snoezelen® products
for visual, auditory,
tactile, and/or
olfactory stimulation;
relaxation; and
cause-and-effect
work. Catalogues
are available from
Flaghouse, upon
request. Certainly,
there are no absolutes
- you as the professional
are the best person
to decide what will
be the most benefit
to your particular
clients at any given
time.
Avoiding
Problems - Because
of the nature of
the populations
most frequently
using Snoezelen®,
the question of
seizures arises
often. Snoezelen®
light effects are
particularly designed
with these people
in mind. You will
notice while watching
the equipment in
operation that the
light effects build
slowly over a period
of several seconds
to avoid any sudden
flashes. Also some
devices i.e. the
Catherine Wheel,
allows for client
control of speed,
there is a governor
knob on the side
to allow the therapist
or enabler to put
a "ceiling" on the
top speed of movement
which can be attained.
This should allow
the professional
to effectively screen
out those speeds
which he/she feels
are too intense
for any individual
user.
There have been
some reports of
individuals being
bothered by the
reflected light
of the color wheel
spotlight flashing
from tile to tile
on the mirror ball
as it turns. This
piece of equipment
may also be poorly
tolerated by those
who suffer from
motion sickness.
A good way to avoid
these problems would
be to have the turning
of the mirror ball
controlled by a
wall switch. This
will allow the enabler
to stop the spinning
of the ball when
the room is being
used by someone
who would find the
effects problematic.
The familiar "dots"
will still appear
, and they will
continue to change
color; but there
will be no movement,
hence no spinning
or flashing. Another
alternative would
be to cover the
mirror ball when
the room is being
used by the people
affected.
A final point -
while most people
using Snoezelen®
tend to find mirrors
to be great fun
and very interesting,
experience has shown
that elderly users
sometime find them
confusing and troubling.
You may want to
avoid using mirrors
if you are designing
a facility to be
used by this population.
Using
Present Resources
- As you work
with developing
your Snoezelen®,
you will find that
there are other
materials which
can be effectively
incorporated to
enhance your environment
with minimal additional
cost. It may be
that you already
have many of these
items available
within your facility.
This is a wonderful
opportunity to exercise
your professional
(and artistic) creativity.
Remember as you
plan that the main
criterion for determining
what will be appropriate
for use in the Snoezelen®
is that the activity/material
be something that
your users find
interesting and
enjoyable. A list
of Snoezelen® compatible
products is available
from Flaghouse.
Use this as a starting
point - your natural
creativity will
take you on from
there.
(Taken
from "Planning Your
Snoezelen® Environment,
by Flaghouse Inc.)
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