An evaluation of Snoezelen® compared to 'common best practice' for allaying the symptoms of wandering and restlessness among residents with dementia in aged care facilities

Snoezelen has become an increasingly popular therapy in residential aged care facilities in Australia and elsewhere, despite no conclusive evidence of its clinical efficacy. This paper reports on an evaluation of the use of Snoezelen compared to 'common best practice' for allaying the dementia related behaviors of wandering and restlessness in two residential aged care facilities in Victoria, Australia. Sixteen residents had their behavior and responses to Snoezelen or 'common best practice' observed and recorded over three time periods. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed there was a significant improvement in behaviors immediately after the intervention and after 60 min. However, no significant differences were found between residents receiving Snoezelen and 'common best practice' interventions for the reduction of the dementia related behaviors.