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CompletedNCT00548951Updated Dec 16, 2015

Alzheimer Patients and the Snoezelen Program

A Phase 1 interventional study of Snoezelen Room and Snoezelen Room in Dementia, sponsored by Queen's University. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-12-16.

Sponsored by Queen's University · Phase 1, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
18
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
65 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

To determine the connection between Social Withdrawal and Sensory Deprivation in elderly clients with Alzheimer's Type Dementia (i.e. how providing sensory stimulation might reduce social withdrawal).

Read the detailed description

The Snoezelen concept or program was originally thought up in Holland and comes from two Dutch words meaning to "sniff and doze". It was first introduced in the Netherlands in the 1970's. The first room was introduced in Snoezelen examines how a group of people react to an area that is private, relaxed and one that they trust. This program will bring out one's sense of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing just by being in a specially designed room. Trust and relaxation will be looked at by those people with developmental disabilities (those that learn at a slower rate). Snoezelen originated with the belief that everyone needs nerve pulses (senses).

Inside a Snoezelen room you will find, dimmed lights, a relaxed atmosphere and pleasant surroundings, soothing sounds, intriguing aromas, tasty puddings, candies, interesting light effects (fiber optic light spray), comfortable seating, opportunities for interaction and engagement, sense of control over environment, tactile objects (awareness box), bubble tube, solar projector wheel, water fountain, massage pillow, massage tube, tranquility and solitude. The Snoezelen room is an environment in which the primary senses (see, hear, taste, touch) are stimulated all to create an environment that is both relaxing and stimulating. The benefits of Snoezelen change per person but may include some of the following:

  • Increased resident and caregiver communication
  • Increased awareness and understanding of the environment

The Snoezelen idea: client-controlled, safe comfortable atmosphere and freedom from pressure.

Sensory Deprivation (loss) The average person touches 300 different surfaces every 30 minutes. The average person with a profound disability will likely touch 1-5 surfaces in the same time frame.

02

Conditions studied

  • Dementia

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Keywords

  • Dementia
03

In context

Dementia

2,230 studies on the registry are indexed under Dementia; 549 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 18 is below the median of 83 across 1,669 interventional studies indexed under Dementia.

Browse Dementia studies →

Lead sponsor

Queen's University is the lead sponsor of 207 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.

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Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
65 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Residents living at Rideaucrest Home (Long Term Care Facility in Kingston, Ontario);
  • Residents having a Mini Mental State Exam with a score of 15 to 27 reflecting mild to moderate dementia;
  • Male or female over 65 years of age;
  • Resident who are able to leave the terrace;
  • Resident who are not actively participating in Life Enrichment Programs;
  • Able to provide informed written and signed consent by resident or substitute decision maker.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Suffering from severe life threatening illness with a reasonable expectation of death within the next six month;
  • Severe mental disorder in the opinion of the investigator (i.e. bipolar, schizophrenia);
  • No recent change in medication(s) during the past four weeks prior to the project;
  • Other non-Alzheimer-Type Dementia;
  • Residents who suffer from Epilepsy.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
18 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    1

    Subject receives Snoezelen sessions once per week.

    Other: Snoezelen Room

  • Active comparator
    2

    Subject receives Snoezelen sessions three times per week.

    Other: Snoezelen Room

  • Other
    3

    Subject receives no sessions per week.

    Other: Control

Interventions

  • OtherSnoezelen Room

    Session in a Snoezelen room once per week for 12 weeks

  • OtherSnoezelen Room

    Session in a Snoezelen room three times per week for 12 weeks

  • OtherControl

    Receive no sessions in a Snoezelen Room.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. To evaluate improvement of the residents who are given Snoezelen sessions.

    Time frame: 12 weeks

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Rideaucrest Home
    Kingston, Ontario K7K 3H6, Canada
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Sep 2005, a primary completion of Dec 2006 and a completion of Dec 2006. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 12, 2005
First posted
Oct 24, 2007
Start
Sep 2005
Primary completionActual
Dec 2006
CompletionActual
Dec 2006
Last update
Dec 16, 2015
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 16, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00548951
Lead sponsor
Queen's University
Responsible party
Dr. Roumen Milev (Principal Investigator, Queen's University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Oct 24, 2007
Start date
Sep 2005
Primary completion
Dec 2006
Completion
Dec 2006
Last update
Dec 16, 2015

Study contacts

Roumen V. Milev, MD
principal investigator · Queen's University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2015. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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