Snoezelen is a sensory treatment modality for elderly patients with dementia and/or exceptionally challenged children. It is part of the work that Sr. Aloysia Morelli is involved with in her ministry at the Felician Infirmary in Lodi, New Jersey.

There are seven Felician infirmaries in the United States and this Dutch concept of therapy that includes music, light, touch, sound and smell has been introduced at the Felician Sisters’ healthcare facilities to offer another approach to creating better quality of life for their Sisters. “Encouraging results have been shown with the elderly suffering from dementia such as Alzheimer's, for people with mental illness, as well as for those in chronic pain, with challenging behaviors, acquired brain injury, and other conditions. In addition, Snoezelen is gaining momentum in the mainstream population as an antidote to stress.”

Sr. Aloysia, a nurse, said that in the infirmary in Lodi, they provide a half-hour session of therapy for their sisters. The blood pressure of the patient is taken prior to and following Snoezelen therapy. The staff has witnessed a thirty point decrease in the blood pressure following a session. “If an individual is aggressive before the session, they are more relaxed. For patients who are depressed, we use active music stimulation and light sensation,” explained Sr. Aloysia.

Sr. Lorene Pivinski, a Felician sister and a Reiki master, is the local superior at the infirmary in Lodi. She was the one who introduced Sr. Aloysia to the concept of Snoezelen. Sr. Aloysia had also been made aware of it by Dr. Stall at Beth Israel Hospital in his work with geriatric psychiatric patients.

“We hope to become certified in Snoezelen therapy. There is a course in Toronto where we can go to acquire certification. At this point, we have only done one round of sessions with each patient. We maintain a “sensory diet” chart on each patient and document which modality they respond best to and their progress. We are impressed with the benefits of the program so far, although it will take six months to a year to see the overall results,” said Sr. Aloysia.

“Our hope is that our program will become a model for others in the New Jersey area. The Felician Sisters operate a school for exceptional children on the Lodi campus and they have brought some of the youngsters here to our center where we have a special Snoezelen therapy room. They were so impressed they are now planning to open their own room,” said Sr. Aloysia enthusiastically.

Clearly, Sr. Aloysia enjoys her ministry with the Felician Sisters – “the sisters are my joy!”

To learn more about Snoezelen therapy please visit: http://www.flaghouse.com/what_AL.asp and
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