Throughout my work with people living with dementia and their families, I’ve seen how connection can happen in many different ways. A familiar song may bring a smile. The scent of a favorite recipe can spark conversation. Working with flowers or feeling the warmth of the sun may encourage someone to engage with the people and environment around them.
These responses remind us that while dementia can change how a person communicates and processes information, there are still many ways to connect.
At Maplewood, we look for opportunities to engage the senses as part of everyday life. Sound, touch, taste, smell, sight, and movement can offer different ways for people living with dementia to participate, express themselves, and find enjoyment in the present moment.
Our senses are closely connected to memory and emotion. Most of us have experienced a song that immediately takes us back to another time or a familiar aroma that reminds us of home.
For someone living with dementia, sensory experiences can provide another avenue for engagement, particularly when finding the right words or recalling specific details becomes more difficult. Research has explored approaches involving music, touch, nature, art, familiar scents, taste, and multisensory environments to meaningfully engage with individuals living with dementia, suggesting potential benefits for, mood, communication, and overall well-being.
What matters most, however, is the person. Sensory engagement is not simply about providing more stimulation. It is about understanding what is familiar, comfortable, and meaningful to each individual.
There is no single activity that will resonate with everyone.
Someone who spent years gardening may enjoy arranging flowers or tending to herbs. A person who loved to cook may find familiarity in measuring ingredients, stirring a bowl, or recognizing the smell of a favorite dish. Someone with a lifelong appreciation for music may respond to a favorite artist in ways that surprise those around them.
Our approach to memory care begins with understanding each resident as an individual, including their routines, interests, traditions, preferences, and personal history. Those details can help associates create opportunities for engagement that feel natural and personal.
It is also important to notice what someone is communicating in the moment. A smile, relaxed posture, humming along to a song, or becoming more conversational can all be signs that an experience is resonating.
Sensory engagement does not have to be complicated. Some of the most meaningful opportunities are already part of everyday routines.
Music can encourage movement and conversation. Gardening and time outdoors offer opportunities to experience nature through sight, sound, touch, and smell. Art and creative activities can introduce color, texture, movement, and choice. Even familiar household tasks, such as folding towels, setting a table, or sorting objects, can provide familiarity and purpose.
Cooking and baking can be especially rich sensory experiences, bringing together taste, aroma, texture, movement, and familiar routines. Our Memory Lane Baking program is designed for people living with dementia and their families, is a hands-on program that uses simple, familiar recipes to create opportunities to mix, measure, knead, taste, and enjoy the experience of something baking together.
What I appreciate about Memory Lane Baking is that there is no expectation that someone remember the recipe or complete every step. One person may stir the ingredients, another may enjoy the scent coming from the oven, and someone else may begin sharing a story connected to baking at home. Families can participate alongside their loved ones, allowing the experience itself to become a natural point of connection.
One of the best parts? Our talented culinary teams are learning the family recipes at the same time, preparing and baking the same dish in the kitchen, to serve residents and their families once complete.
Sensory engagement is woven into our programming. The goal is not to test someone’s memory or ability. It is to create an opportunity to participate in a way that feels comfortable and familiar.
Within Maplewood’s Currents memory care neighborhoods, sensory experiences are incorporated into programming and daily routines as part of our individualized approach.
Our philosophy emphasizes personal interests, individual strengths, choice, and opportunities to remain involved in daily life. That may mean listening to meaningful music, preparing a familiar recipe, participating in a creative project, spending time outdoors, or engaging with something connected to a longtime interest.
Participation can look different for everyone. One person may be actively involved from beginning to end, while another may prefer to watch, listen, or participate for a few minutes. Each response can be meaningful.
Just as important is recognizing when someone may need less stimulation. Busy environments, competing conversations, loud music, or too many choices can sometimes become overwhelming. Paying attention to body language and behavior allows us to adjust the environment and meet the person where they are.
Families sometimes tell me they are unsure how to connect with a loved one as dementia progresses. I encourage them to think beyond conversation alone.
Listen to a favorite song together without asking, “Do you remember this?” Look through photographs without expecting someone to identify everyone. Prepare a familiar recipe without worrying about completing every step correctly. Take a walk, arrange flowers, sit outdoors, or simply hold hands. There does not need to be a right answer or a particular outcome. When we remove the pressure to remember and instead focus on what someone can experience in the present, we create more room for connection.
At Maplewood, this person-centered approach guides how we support residents in our Currents memory care neighborhoods. By learning who each person is and what has brought meaning to their life, we can create opportunities for comfort, purpose, enjoyment, and connection throughout the day.
Sometimes it begins with something as simple as a song, a familiar scent, or the feeling of something recognizable in your hands.
Contact us to learn more about Maplewood Senior Living’s approach to memory care and how our Currents neighborhoods support individuals and families throughout the dementia journey.
Sign up to receive the latest posts straight to your inbox.
Keep Reading
