The Benefits of Tactile Sensory Stimulation

Sensory stimulation is a treatment used with people whose brains have difficulty taking in and responding to input from their senses. Tactile sensory stimulation focuses primarily on the sense of touch.

Significance

• Alzheimer's patients and those with other forms of dementia benefit greatly from tactile sensory stimulation as their brains encounter increasing difficulty understanding input from the outer world. In addition, such stimulation can help children with autism and adults and children with sensory integrative dysfunction.

Types

• Passive tactile stimulation can include massage, either whole body or of any individual part of the body, as well as manicures and hair care. Giving patients interesting things to touch also constitutes tactile sensory stimulation; items used can include sand, balls, sandpaper, pinecones, water and fruit with different textures. Allowing the patient to pet animals also produces positive benefits.

Benefits

• Tactile sensory stimulation helps improve Alzheimer's patients' concentration and alertness. Physical contact with another human being evokes a positive emotional response in the patient and helps them relax. Tactile sensory stimulation also benefits the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients by allowing the patients to relax and communicate better with their caregivers.