Dementia Care

Vol 5 No 6 December 2016/January 2017

Australian Journal of Dementia Care

Using sensory stories for

individuals with dementia

People with dementia are prone to sensory deprivation, but symptoms like irritability and

confusion may be reduced by using multisensory life stories.

Rebecca Leighton

Coralie

Oddy

and

Joanna Grace

describe two successful approaches to sensory life story work

Rebecca Leighton

(top) is a specialist

speech and language

therapist, elenbi-uk

and Bradford District

Care NHS

Foundation Trust in

the UK; Coralie Oddy

(centre) is a student

speech and language

therapist and founder

of ReminiSense, a

project providing

group sensory

storyelling; and

Joanna Grace (above)

is a special

educational needs and

disabilities consultant

and founder of the

Sensory Project.

‘sensory story’ is a concise narrative in

which each section of the text is partnered

with a relevant sensory experience, each

story typically targeting a broad range of senses.

Story experiencers may engage with the narrative

through the text, the stimuli, or both; no part has

dominance. Individuals with limited

understanding of language can therefore be

included in storytelling and its benefits for well-

being and cognition (Grace 2014; Lacey 2006).

Sensory perceptions are key to memory

formation (Bogdashina 2003) and repeating a

sensory experience reinforces neural pathways

(Grace 2014; Longhorn 2011). Accordingly, when

sensory stories are told consistently over time,

listeners’ responses increase (Brug

et al

2012;

PAMIS 2002, 2006, 2010; Penne

et al

2012).

Sensory stories were originally created to support

individuals with profound disabilities (Deonarain

2010; Fuller 2013; Grove 1998; Lacey 2006; PAMIS

2002; Park 2004; Taylor 2006; Young & Lambe

2011) and have since been used effectively with

individuals with a range of needs. This paper

explores their application in the field of dementia.

Narrative and sensory interventions

Sensory loss associated with ageing is exacerbated

by dementia (Bakker 2003). Individuals with

dementia are especially vulnerable to sensory

deprivation, as difficulties with communication

and mobility create barriers to accessing desired

activities (Baker

et al

2003). Symptoms of sensory

deprivation – irritability, confusion,

disorientation, lethargy and hallucinations – are

common in later stage dementia (Collier 2007).

Providing appropriate sensory stimulation is

therefore crucial (Baker

et al

2003).

Though common in learning disability services,

the use of sensory stories in dementia care is not

reported in the literature and appears to be a

novel approach. Other narrative and sensory

interventions are used with both populations:

• Life story work benefits individuals with

dementia and/or learning disability and their

carers (Hewitt 2006; Kindell

et al

2014; McKeown

et al

2015).

• ‘Multisensory prompts for communication’

support individuals with learning disability and

dementia to transition between activities and

experience reduced anxiety (Johnson & Elliot

2006, 2008).

• Multisensory environments, frequently used

with individuals with profound and multiple

learning disabilities (PMLD), became popular in

dementia care in the 1990s (Baker

et al

2003; Hope

& Waterman 2004).

Individuals with PMLD and dementia are

certainly not a homogeneous group, but this

overlap in approaches reflects the fact that both

populations are vulnerable to sensory deprivation

(Baker

et al

2003; Bauer

et al

2015; Fowler 2007;

Grace 2014) and have an increased need for non-

verbal communication (Ellis & Astell 2008;

Mansell 2010; Mencap 2014). The parallels

suggest that ‘what works’ in sensory storytelling

for people with PMLD could be beneficial in

dementia. Through exploring this in practice, we

have developed two approaches: personalised

sensory life stories and group sensory

storytelling.

Sensory life stories

Traditional life stories are usually books (Kindell

et al

2014; McKeown

et al

2006) but other formats

exist. They may incorporate photos, documents,

objects or music (Hewitt 2006) and are thus

experienced via multiple senses. However, they

may “… lack a multisensory and embodied

dimension that requires further exploration in

research and practice” (Kindell

et al

2014 p158).

So, since 2013, we have had a multisensory focus,

implementing sensory life stories with

individuals with dementia.

In the format we have created (box 1, p18),

between eight and 10 key events are drawn from a

traditional life story and each is recreated as a

concise sentence with an accompanying sensory

experience. Chronological order is maintained. In

a second format (box 2, p18), one specific memory

(perhaps a favourite, memorable event) is retold

in eight-10 sentence/stimuli pairs. Reggie*, for

example, has a story about how his passion for art

began with winning a school competition. In both

cases, an identity-reaffirming narrative is told

through sensory experiences.

Most families have chosen to start with a

traditional life story, from which one or more

sensory stories are then developed. But where the

dementia is more advanced, families may choose

to start with the sensory format, given its non-

verbal emphasis.

Involving people with dementia in life story

work is complex (McKeown

et al

2015). The