This is the only physical space of its kind in the region, and Aiala herself shares everything they have learned over these years, their experiences, and their journey, which we are confident will be of interest to many professionals and families. Bibiana Escribano, an occupational therapist and advisor at Qinera, joins her in this interview.

Why a multisensory room at the school?

(Bibiana Escribano) Aiala, thank you so much for this interview. We find your experience and journey very valuable. Could you tell us what inspired you to seek sensory tools and adopt this ‘sensory’ perspective?

(Aiala Grajirena) In the 2020-2021 school year, a student with special educational needs enrolled at our school. It was a significant challenge for us because up until that point, we hadn’t had any students with those characteristics, and therefore, we weren’t prepared to support them. The counselor who was with us at that time immediately contacted the Andrés Muñoz Public School for Special Education in Pamplona.

It was during the COVID times, returning to school after being at home, and it wasn’t easy to arrange an in-person visit. However, we were finally able to visit them, and I remember they treated us with great kindness. That visit made us realize that what we needed in our school was a multisensory room.

(B) And how was the process of creating and financing the project?

(A) We sought help from the Department of Education and CREENA, but the response was that we had to manage with the annual budget allocated to each school. Therefore, seeing that it wasn’t going to be easy, I decided to submit two projects to secure financial support: one to La Caixa and another to the Social Services of the local Mancomunidad. Meanwhile, I started training with Qinera, which has always been a significant support in this project.

“Seeking funding is a bittersweet process: extra work, prioritizing and setting goals, finding time that we often don’t have. But once it’s granted and completed, it’s a great satisfaction.” – Aiala

To our surprise, both projects were accepted, and thus we were able to start setting up the room. With the funds received, we were able to purchase the bubble tube, fiber optics, and vibroacoustic waterbed. It was a very special moment, something unimaginable but we were achieving it. Gradually, we shaped the room to what it is today.

Achieving funding: a bittersweet process

(A) This process has been bittersweet. Presenting these projects involves extra work, setting priorities and goals, requesting quotes, preparing the project… and once it’s granted and completed, a report must be submitted. As I mentioned, it’s extra work, but seeing the results at the end brings great satisfaction. I must also say that from the very beginning, I have received a lot of help and support from the school’s management team, the teaching staff, the APYMA Erreka… I have felt very supported and I am very grateful for all the support received.

Incorporating technology into our multisensory room

(B) We all have used homemade materials. In fact, many can be good, but what does multisensory technology contribute? What has it brought to you or what leap have you been able to make with technology?

(A) Initially, it wasn’t easy. With insufficient funding, we started by creating homemade sensory materials, using a lot of imagination, and, truthfully, very beautiful things can be made, but multisensory technology is another world. Sensory technology is much more striking, attractive… and this helps you connect much more with the student.

“Multisensory technology helps you connect much more with the students.” – Aiala

(B) What benefits do you think these tools have brought you?

(A) It has brought us many benefits that we wouldn’t have achieved working in regular classrooms or with homemade materials. When you enter the room, you immediately disconnect from the world. The feeling of tranquility these rooms provide is incredible; you connect with another world full of sensations, and these sensations are what make us live, feel, learn…

(B) I love vibroacoustics, and I think they are a very important resource for connection. What do you think? Have you seen benefits in users using the pool or the water bed?

(A) Yes, it’s a very powerful resource. At the moment, we have two vibroacoustic elements in the room: the waterbed and the ball pool. They are both very valuable because they achieve two very important objectives: activation and relaxation. In the time I have been working in the room, I have seen both reactions, but what I mostly seek with the vibroacoustic bed is relaxation for the student, and with the pool, their activation.

For activation, we use very powerful music with heavy bass, strong rhythms, whereas for relaxation, we use softer songs, with fewer bass and less pronounced rhythms. Usually, the vibroacoustic bed is what our students seek the most because they feel very comfortable in it; sometimes they have even fallen asleep. Imagine the situation: the water is warm, there’s calm music playing, gentle movement is generated… If I had to choose, I would choose the relaxation and well-being that the vibroacoustic bed provides.

(B) On the other hand, we are very concerned that children, regardless of their limitations, can directly interact with the physical environment around them. In the end, it’s a way to play and start controlling the environment. How do you make use of the different forms of interaction within the room?

(A) I have only been working in these rooms for three years, so I feel like I still have many things to learn, to experience… But I could talk about two different cases in terms of ‘control’ within the room.

So far, I have worked with a student who had significant limitations, so I took control of the entire session: setting objectives, working on them, and filling out the record sheet at the end of the session to try to identify his likes, desires, and needs…

However, this school year, I’m working with a student with different needs. In sessions, I have two main objectives: on one hand, to promote his relaxation and on the other, to propose different activities and help him focus on them. He asks for and really needs vestibular stimulation, as this greatly helps him relax (using the hammock, seeking balance with the large ball…) and he has a strong fixation on new technologies, although I haven’t used the tablet or button with him yet.

In summary, considering the characteristics of the student,  different work is done in these sessions. It’s very beautiful because many times, it’s them who tell you what they want, what they need…

(B) Can you share a magical or special moment that has happened in the room with a user?

(A) If I had to choose a magical or special moment, it would be the expressions of joy, curiosity, and excitement they showed the first few times they entered the room. For them, it was magical to move from a classroom with noise, movement, and light to another space where silence, warmth, tranquility prevail… Children are usually very expressive, and seeing that smile appear on their faces is very magical and special. Moreover, what’s beautiful is that even now, knowing the room, that smile still remains.

Thanks to Aiala and the CPEIP San Miguel team for their participation in this article💜.

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If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada From imagination to reality: the creation of a multisensory room at CPEIP San Miguel ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

RdgKompagne is the Dutch reseller for Qinera interactive technology and was extensively involved in designing the room. This sensory room marks a first for the Netherlands: such multisensory rooms haven’t been implemented in care homes for people with dementia before. Eager to hear about the initial experiences, our partner sat down with Wilma Post, the driving force behind the realization of this inspiring multisensory room.

“In a traditional sensory room, users passively undergo the activities. In a room with Qinera technology, it is the users who take over, using different controllers to operate the devices, sounds, projections, and effects in the room.” – RdgKompagne team

The importance of interactivity in a multisensory space to enhance enjoyment of life

Wilma is a member of the management team and coordinator of “Team Leefplezier”. This intriguing team name is unique to the Vivium Zorggroep. Leefplezier essentially means “Enjoyment of Life”. According to Wilma, Vivium pays a lot of attention to ensuring their residents experience enjoyment throughout the stages of dementia. Vivium even employs two staff members dedicated specifically to raising funds for this purpose.

“We try to closely observe what people need to enhance their enjoyment of life.” – Wilma

Wilma enthusiastically talks about the new SHX multisensory room: “At my previous workplace, I already had ideas about using moving images, sound and light. I had a projector installed there, and I could play music, but there was no possibility to combine the two. Back then I already imagined that if I was ever given a second chance to design a similar room, I would try and find a system that would be able to connect all the elements. So that you could give all your attention to the resident without having to worry about the technical stuff. The SHX system is exactly what I already had in mind all those years ago.“

Giving control back to people with dementia

According to Wilma, the main difference with a traditional sensory room is that people can influence their environment themselves, but they’re also being challenged. This makes them come out of their shell. When people find that they’re able to control the bubble tube with a big button all by themselves, they’re truly in wonder about that, and no longer concerned with the limitations of their dementia. They’re once again, just for a short while, back in control of things. In a traditional sensory room, users are only passively experiencing all the activities.

For Wilma, this was the main consideration for pushing for an SHX multisensory room. She explains: “If you suffer from dementia, many aspects of life are decided for you, and you’re largely dependent on caregivers. Your world becomes very small. While part of what defines being human is that you can think and act out of your own free will. If that becomes difficult, but you’re still able to act and also able to recognize the result of those actions, then that’s a very precious experience. You can truly connect with someone by actually doing something together, not by letting someone passively experience activities. That’s why it’s more difficult to establish a connection with someone in a traditional sensory room.”

Wilma’s team wants to give back a certain level of control to people in the SHX multisensory room. They do this, for example, by letting them influence the colors of the bubble tube or by letting them start a video. But also by enabling them to influence the experience itself. Wilma continues: “We want to give people the opportunity to relive their own memories, for instance by using their personal pictures of a trip to Paris in a slideshow, while serving them some French cheese. I believe that if you hand over as much control over the interpretation of the experience as possible, you not only activate people, but you also enable their inner feelings to resurface. Obviously taking into account what people are still capable of themselves. That’s what we aim for with our team; helping people to experience the sparkle of life, even if it’s for a brief moment. Having to live in a care home and suffering from dementia isn’t easy, despite the fact that everybody tries to make life as enjoyable as possible. In this multisensory room, people are able to briefly return to their memories, go back in time, and bring back feelings from long ago”.

“We try to give people back their dignity by offering them a multisensory experience and bring their strength back to the surface.”

A valuable asset for all stages of dementia

Wilma enthusiastically explains what she has in mind with the Qinera’s interactive room stating that recently, we visited a riding school with a resident who worked with horses all of her life. She suffers from later-stage dementia and hardly ever speaks anymore. She blossomed while interacting with the horses, and her vibrant personality resurfaced. We took pictures of her at the riding school, and I created a slideshow with these which she can enjoy with her family in the multisensory room. Thanks to the SXH system, we can create a fully immersive experience for her with soft colors, beautiful music, and we will also give her a photo album. With projects like these, we try to establish a connection between the experience inside the multisensory room and the outside world. It enables us to give people back their dignity and bring their strength back to the surface.

Wilma expects that this interactive sensory room will prove to be a valuable asset for all stages of dementia. Ranging from people who are still very active and get together in the room enjoying a beer and a snack, to people who are no longer able to get out of bed, or even people who are in the terminal phase. Wilma’s team would also like to work together with the spiritual caregivers on creating religious activities for the room. She is currently shooting some footage for this purpose. Even people who are in the terminal phase should eventually be able to spend their last hours enjoying the sound of the sea or images of falling snowflakes.

“It’s enormously important to be able to decide for yourself how you want to leave this life.”

The future of multisensory spaces in the center 

The Qinera sensory room in this care home was made possible thanks to funding from a foundation called Stichting Vrienden van De Stichtse Hof (Friends of De Stichtse Hof Foundation). Wilma explains that it took quite some persuasion before they approved the financing for the project. A system like this has never been used for people with dementia in the Netherlands. Immersive multisensory rooms are commonly used for people with cognitive disabilities, and she was convinced that people with dementia would experience the same benefits. It took some creativity, but eventually we were able to convince everyone this was the best system to invest in, and not something more traditional. Now that the SHX system has been installed, everyone is very enthusiastic about the possibilities it offers.

“We have lots of plans for the multisensory room. Everyone is very positive and colleagues come up with their own ideas.”

Wilma has lots of plans for the multisensory room and expressed her desire to incorporate the use of the room into the care file of their residents. She emphasized the importance of family involvement in suggesting activities, such as providing pictures of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Additionally, Wilma proposed offering vouchers for tailored activities, such as for family celebrations. Looking ahead, she outlined the team’s intention to prioritize individualized goals for residents, such as facilitating connections for those in the later stages of dementia, providing relaxation, and fostering creative pursuits.

The team noted the overwhelmingly positive reactions from colleagues, highlighting how visitors to the room are immediately inspired to engage in various activities and generate their own ideas. As people continuously explore new possibilities, they naturally begin to combine different elements. For instance, they are currently developing a plan to collect old LPs, intending to integrate them with a sensor on the Proximity switch to enable users to initiate a multisensory musical experience featuring both audio and visual elements of the artist.

The multisensory room has been beautifully decorated. In addition to the interactive elements, the room is equipped with colorful cushions, soothing musical instruments, and scented materials. Together, these materials are used to create an immersive multisensory experience. Wilma says that depending on the activity,: “Depending on the activity, we can add other materials as well, such as sand or shells to enhance the feeling of a visit to the beach. We still have a wish list and the Stichting Vrienden van De Stichtse Hof has already indicated they want to contribute to that. Members of the foundation had the opportunity to experience the multisensory room for themselves at the festive inauguration. As a result, they understand very well how broad the applications can be. One of them described it as ‘the entire world is open to you’. Another member suggested applying for funding for a nice camera, so that we can show our residents self-made videos.”

Wilma would like to transform the entire Stichtse Hof into an immersive multisensory environment. She is convinced that ii is what their residents need.

“There’s no need to offer people activities they can’t participate in, this only confronts them with all the things they can no longer do. But in your mind you can do anything, even when you’re old and in bed. When you close your eyes, you can still jump those hurdles. And that’s what counts, because that’s what gives people joy.” – Wilma

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If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada First sensory room for elderly opens in Dutch Care home ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

“Basal” is an open and broad concept, where anyone with any limitations in perception, communication and movement has a place. This does not only include severely affected people, but also all those who need support and orientation related to their body, the environment and in the proposed activity. With “basal,” no prerequisites are necessary:

• it doesn’t matter if the person is a child, or an adult woman or man.
• their age (infant, adult, elderly), IQ, perceptual disturbances, pathologies…are irrelevant

In short, we are not held back by their limitations, because no prerequisites are needed.

Implementing the concept

What is important is how we look at and listen to that person, how we consider what they need, how we support and accompany them, so that they are as oriented and connected as possible, in the present moment, in the task they are undertaking, in the here and now.

Fundamentally, Basal Stimulation helps us to structure any activity related to everyday life (a shower, a meal, a physical change of posture or movement, a moment of leisure…) or any therapeutic activity, from a global point of view, and without fragmenting the person.

Through this new perspective, we must be able to see, for example:

• what the user’s movements or micro-movements are like, in order to be able to support and/or offer others who help them participate or access the activity
• how he/she expresses him/herself, so that we can communicate
• what their perceptual pathways are, in order to try to help them perceive    information better
• if he/she understands the activity or what is happening with his/her body so that, if that is not the case, we can see what we have to change or structure and offer the task differently. This way, he/she can understand the activity and be as oriented as possible

Therefore, the way we accompany the individual will be based on the person’s needs, keeping in mind his/her capabilities. We all have capabilities, whether it be something we can do and/or offer.

It is very important to observe, listen and modify our approach towards the person we are accompanying. Active listening and working with the body are the backbones of this concept. When we approach things from the Basale Stimulation® perspective, we can learn to structure any activity to support and accompany the person, as well as to improve and complement our approach, thereby turning any activity into stimulation and development opportunities for the person.

Basale Stimulation® encourages us to make important changes in the way we approach individuals, such that they become the center of our intervention and we build from there.

Basal stimulation training

Last weekend, Raquel Soriano led the introductory training course in Basel Stimulation in Barcelona. Raquel is an advocate of ADLs (activities of daily living) and tries to convey the importance of accompanying the individual from this unique perspective, while offering him/her meaningful, every day opportunities for development. She compliments this approach with her work in multisensory rooms.

“I am a Basale Stimulation® trainer and I work in a stimulation room on a daily basis, two words that for the most ardent defenders of the concept may seem to be antonyms. In fact, at the beginning of my training, I thought this way, as well” – Raquel Soriano, trainer, therapist, special education teacher and AAC specialist.

Accompaniment as a concept

To accompany someone using this concept in a multisensory room, is not about stimulation in the literal sense. We actually go far beyond stimulation. For this reason, it is impossible to have a “recipe book of basic activities”. If each person is unique and special, each person expresses themselves, moves, perceives, understands, communicates, relates and experiences things in a different way. And thus, will need different support. We cannot apply standardized activities.

“I can advocate for the sensory rooms because I work with people on a daily basis using these spaces. In reality, Basale Stimulation® can be applied anywhere in which the experience can be turned into a meaningful one. So what becomes important is not the place but the experience we are building with the person inside the space” – Raquel Soriano

Therefore, we will always have to start from the individuality of each person (needs, capabilities, sensory profile…) in order to start planning and structuring flexible offers/activities adapted to each one of them. We do this first by observing and listening. It is important to analyze and reflect, in order to know how to approach the individual.

Before we start, we will probably have to ask ourselves: What does the person really need? What does he/she perceive? What can the person and I do together within the room? How does he/she interact with me or with the elements of the room?  What guidance does he/she need to understand the activity? How can he/she participate and be the protagonist? Can I structure the activity differently so that it makes more sense for him/her? 

“I don’t start by switching on everything in the sensory room. My accompaniment begins with an embodied approach, seeking an encounter with the person and their bodily orientation, then only we would move on to an experience of exchange and listening, in any corner of the room”. – Raquel Soriano

If you want to know more about Basal Stimulation and how to apply it, we encourage you to reach out to Raquel Soriano Rico.

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada Basal Stimulation and multisensory rooms ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

The Sant Jordi Project

This project started on Sant Jordi’s Day (23rd April 2022) with the sale of 50 Magic Bags (including literature and a lot of magic). The sale of these bags allowed us to build a small initial budget to start with.

Our main objective was to create a sensory stimulation classroom in an early childhood education space for infants between 0 and 6 years old. We strongly believe that at this age children should have the opportunity to discover the world around them through their senses, and that is precisely what a multisensory classroom like the one we have created allows us to do: stimulate the senses of the little ones and give them the tools and resources so that they can explore the world around them through these senses.

“‘Universo Educación’ is what we refer to as the educational and socio-educational world. The projects we undertake are always linked to the educational and/or socio-educational environment, whether with groups of children or adults in nursery schools, primary or secondary schools, residences…” – Anna, Maestras Solidarias.

Creating a complete multisensory classroom from zero, with resources and materials to stimulate each and every one of the senses, was not an easy task. We had to research carefully, choosing materials that were really interesting for the sensory development of the youngest children. And then we did extensive research to find collaborators who could provide those materials at no cost.

Experimenting with lighting and darkness

From the very beginning it was clear to us that there had to be a space to be able to play with light and darkness, as lighting is an important learning resource at an early age. It allows children to develop their curiosity, promote imagination and encourage their capacity for wonder. The Qinera cube-cave fascinated us from the very first moment and we did not hesitate to contact them, as we were sure that it would be a success…

… and we were right. It is a fantastic den, because it not only allows you to experiment with light and darkness, play with shadows and reflections, but also to create a magical and cozy atmosphere that can be used as a refuge, a calming space, a reading corner… Moreover, several children can comfortably sit in it at the same time, and they have a great time going in and out and playing with the coloured lights. It’s a great environment for role play, science investigations and creative play with UV light, among other activities we can’t wait to try.

The project is now a reality

After months of work, on the 3rd of December 2022, we inaugurated the multisensory classroom, and we are very pleased with the result. It has become a very beautiful and welcoming classroom, full of quality sensory materials, where we are sure that young and old alike will be able to enjoy themselves and learn at the same time. As Dr. David Bueno, a well-known expert in educational neuroscience, invites us to reflect, “the only thing that can be learnt is that which tells you something, that which attracts your attention and generates emotion”. And that is what we have been building moment by moment: a magical space in which to feel, be moved and learn, now and in the future.

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If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada An early childhood sensory stimulation classroom ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

To help prevent these neurodegenerative diseases and aid in improving the quality of life, it is increasingly common to find residences and centers installing multisensory rooms for the care of the elderly. Therapeutic sessions in multisensory environments are especially helpful for addressing difficulties in the sensory, motor, cognitive and social areas.

Participation and well-being

Stimulation through activities adapted for each person and involving different cognitive, sensory-motor and social processes help elderly individuals remain active and participative. This in turn slows one’s deterioration while also encouraging self-determination. Aging is a reality but if we can bring about a more positive state of mind in the individual, this has a benefit on their overall health.

The lack of participation in engaging activities progressively leads to feelings of frustration and insecurity, which further accentuates the alterations in mood (apathy, mood swings, agitation…) and can generate isolation, disconnection, and behavioral alterations. The use of multisensory environments as a therapeutic tool improves emotional states and behavioral conduct.

This complements the use of medication and also decreases the use of physical restraint measures. Studies show that combining pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies is the best way to delay deterioration and improve the quality of life of the elderly.

In a Seclusion and Restraint Reduction Strategy review from December 2014 by the Mental Health Commission of Ireland, multisensory facilities were cited as an environment where seclusion and restraint was reduced.

More immersive words

Multisensory rooms are an excellent tool but if we add the SHX technology to the experience, the tool is even more powerful. The result is a totally immersive space with audiovisual content that is projected on the wall and can be combined with the rest of the lighting elements, vibroacoustic stimulation and other special effects. A fully interactive world that can be created and customized for each user or a group of participants. Users can take control of the room with different controllers and turn the room into any theme they choose, at the touch of a button. They can travel from an underwater scene to the treetops of a forest, from sitting at the dinner table with their family members to remembering the way back home from their daily walk.

In an SHX multisensory room, the professional in charge of the session can create for the user(s), coherent and personalized content that enters through different sensory pathways. This content can be adapted to each person, their history, their stage of development, their needs and interests, including multiple intervention objectives.

The room can be used to energize and animate the user, or, to create a quiet, safe environment to decompress. For example, the user can experience the adrenaline release from a roller coaster ride, or sit in front of a cozy fireplace, reminding the user of evenings spent reading in a countryside house. Photographs of travels or special moments can also be displayed, serving as a gateway to cognitive stimulation at different levels of complexity.

Within the SHX multi-sensory rooms, we can:

• Return to the essence, in other words, establish certain stimuli in order to relive activities in a regulated way with simple, pleasant and coherent stimuli, while also adapting to the sensory capabilities of each person.
• Apply complex and powerful stimuli such as music, and facilitate connection and communication, which is a great source of well-being.

Items of interest

In A Randomized controlled trial of the effects of multi-sensory stimulation (MSS) for people with dementia in The British Journal of Clinical Psychology (R Baker, S Bell, E Baker, S Gibson, J Holloway, R Pearce, Z Dowling, P Thomas, J Assey, L A Wareing), immediately after a session, “patients talked more spontaneously, related better to others, did more from their own initiative, were less bored/inactive, and were more happy, active or alert” and “showed a significant improvement in mood and behaviour at home…”

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada SHX multisensory rooms for the elderly ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.