Hansa Lodge Sensory Room
Residents at Hansa Lodge are celebrating the opening of a new sensory room which they helped to design, offering them a calm, relaxing space to manage their mental health.
The former quiet room has now been revamped and upgraded into a vibrant activity room and a dedicated sensory area.
Residents were asked to help with the design, deciding what they would like to see in each area and they were invited to choose the furnishings and colours for the walls.
The activity room boasts a chalkboard, nail salon, Pac-Man machine, internet access, and an arts & craft section, while the sensory room offers a calm, relaxing space for the residents.
Support Worker Susan said: “Since creating the sensory room it has helped to calm our residents and they now have their own space when they need it.
“They seem to really enjoy the sensory lights and like to use this space with 1:1 support from their staff. This helps them feel relaxed and allows them to tell staff how they are feeling and what may have upset them.
“They also use this space to watch their own TV programmes away from others so they don’t have to go to their room to do this.
“This space has had a great impact on all our residents and I like how they were allowed to choose what they wanted in there and how it was decorated and furnished.”
Service user Charmaine said: “Before the quiet room was turned into a sensory room, I didn’t spend any time in there.
“Since it’s been updated it’s been great, we all got to choose the colours and what we wanted in there to help us feel relaxed.
“When I am feeling bad and hearing voices in my head, going in there with the lights helps me feel at peace. My mental health can cause me to feel very upset. Now we all have a place to go to help calm us.
“This has really helped me and I know other residents also like to use this as their quiet place, to use the lights and sensory items to help make them calm.”
Located in Rainham in Essex, Hansa Lodge is a 5 bedroom residential service for adults with learning disabilities, who may have behaviours that challenge and associated complex needs.
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