In this video, Lisa Skinner from the Truth, Lies, and Alzheimer's Show explains how sensory objects can help de‑escalate stressful moments in dementia care. She introduces a wearable sensory fidget vest/apron, describing its design elements—buttons, zipper, shoelaces, pocket, and soft textured fabric—that keep a person’s hands busy and provide predictable tactile input. Skinner argues that such objects lower internal distress, reduce anxiety, and allow caregivers to engage more calmly without arguing with the person’s beliefs. The vest’s stable fit (as an apron) prevents it from falling off, freeing caregivers’ hands. She outlines benefits including preservation of fine motor skills, hand‑eye coordination, cognitive stimulation, reduction of boredom, and redirection of repetitive behaviors. The product is made by SkillCare, available on skillcare.com and Amazon, and is positioned as a practical tool for caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
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Hello everybody. I'm Lisa Skinner from the Truth, Lies, and Alzheimer's Show, and today I want to talk about how we can use sensory objects to help us de-escalate stressful moments in dementia care. And a lot of us can certainly relate to that. I first want to tell you the reason, because sensory objects like a fidget vest, Like I'm wearing, and I'm going to show it to you in more detail in a few minutes, or other similar anxiety repetitive behavior support objects can help de-escalate stressful moments by giving a safe, engaging way to redirect nervous Energy. They reduce internal distress. And they create predictable sensory input that can lower the alarm level in the brain enough to make the person more receptive to reassurance and problem solving. It can be much easier to transition from escalation to calmer interaction if there's an immediate step, like holding a sensory object, for example, while you're speaking to them and trying to continue calming them back. Waiting for the person to use it before addressing the topic at hand. And one of the things that I love about these sensory objects is they don't argue the person out of their belief. They typically help by lowering stress so the moment becomes safer and more workable. So the first, what I'm gonna demonstrate for you right now is what we call a Fidget vest. They come in blankets that, that sit on the laps of the person you're caring for, your loved one. They also come in aprons and then the vest. Now, I like the apron and the vest because it's less likely to fall off their lap and end up on the floor, and that happens a lot. So the thing that's nice about these vests is you've got your buttons for, you know, feeling and touching and keeping your hands busy, and the zipper, and the shoelaces that can be tied and untied. It has a pocket and a really nice texture, soft-feeling texture outside of the pocket. So this is an example of the sensory fidget vest, and it's available on amazon.com. So let me just tell you a little bit about why this object is good. Unlike traditional fidget blankets that drop easily, as I mentioned, This apron features buttons. It buttons up, offering a stable fit and effortless daily convenience. So this allows the seniors to engage hands-free without accidentally discarding the item or having it fall on the floor. The diverse sensory attachments keep restless hands pleasantly occupied. To redirect attention and soothe their anxiety. So this effectively frees up caregivers' hands, making dementia care significantly easier and less stressful. It also has a variety of engaging elements, as I showed you, the zipper and the buttons, etc., etc., the shoelaces. So it combines with tactile textured fabrics. And what that does is it provides gentle cognitive stimulation and helps redirect their attention onto something else that people with dementia typically get fixated on. So the features are interactive task simulations. Then this particular fidget vest helps preserve fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, And finger strength. And it provides purposeful stimulation to support our loved ones' cognitive health, making it ideal for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease. And the other thing that I have found it to be really useful for, it reduces boredom. And trust me, you probably already know this. A lot of people living with dementia, they get bored just like we do. So, you know, it gives them a quick and easy way to engage with their hands. We see a lot of repetitive behaviors with dementia. And this is very, very common. So this helps with giving them something to do that will kind of help ease that yearning for a repetitive behavior. So hopefully you'll check this out. They're available on amazon.com. This particular one is made by a company called Skill Care, S-K-I-L slash C-A-R-E. You can find them at skillcare.com. But most of their products are available on Amazon if you want to check it out there. And I wanted to take a few moments to share this really powerful sensory object with you for those tough moments in dementia caregiving. Thanks.
