Jennifer Stelter: Sensory Tools for Dementia Care | Episode 91

Brain Shaman

Dr. Jennifer Stelter is a clinical psychologist, the CEO of the Dementia Connection Institute, and the author of The Busy Caregiver's Guide to Advanced Alzheimer Disease. In this episode, she shares insights on how to better care for and connect with individuals with dementia. Dr. Stelter delves into the neuroscience and psychology behind their frustrations and behaviors, offering sensory-based tools to enhance the well-being of both those with dementia and their caregivers.
We explore how engaging the senses — smell, sight, sound, taste, and touch — can create positive experiences. By incorporating tools like essential oils, music, color, and hands-on tactile experiences, we can enhance mood, attention, memory, language, neuroplasticity, food intake, independence, and connection. Likewise, reducing or eliminating negative stimuli, such as distressing news, violent media, or disruptive lights and sounds, helps diminish negative emotions and behaviors, fostering a more positive environment and overall experience.
We discuss the psychological effects of various scents, including lavender, rosemary, citrus, and peppermint, and how we can use them to alter our mood and actions.
Even if you don’t have a loved one with dementia, these sensory tools can still benefit your own mood, health, cognition, and overall well-being. Experiment with different sensory experiences, embracing those that work best for you while removing those that don’t.
RESOURCES
BOOKS
- The Busy Caregiver's Guide to Advanced Alzheimer Disease by Jennifer Stelter
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
ORGANIZATIONS
- International Caregivers Association (ICA)
- Johns Hopkins University
- McDonald's

PEOPLE
- Barry Reisberg
TV PROGRAMS
- Memory Lane TV
VOCABULARY
- activities of daily living (ADLs)
- amygdala
- hippocampus
- limbic system
- Memory Care
- occipital lobe
- olfactory bulb
- Pavlov's dog
- retrogenesis
- Santa Fe

**Connect and Learn More**
Website: dementiaconnectioninstitute.org
Book: The Busy Caregiver's Guide to Advanced Alzheimer Disease
Instagram: @neuroessenceorg
LinkedIn: /neuroessenceorg