Sensory Pouches for Dementia Care

Sensory Pouches for Dementia Care
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These touchy-feely sensory pouches (also known as squish bags and sensory pads) are a wonderful way to explore the senses. Filled with interesting textures, sensory pouches are stimulating to look at and touch.

They are also so easy to make! Making sensory pouches is a quick and inexpensive way to make an engaging and relaxing sensory activity for people living with dementia.

Materials

  • Ziplock bags in whatever size you prefer
  • Hair gel, sand or shaving cream
  • Food colouring (optional)
  • Duct tape of any colour 5cm (2 inches) wide

Decorations

  • Anything small and soft (sharp items will perforate the plastic) such as: Buttons, coins, plastic flowers, shells, river pebbles, glitter, beads, sponges, pearls, flat marbles, leftover game pieces, rubber ‘sea’ toys.

Instructions

  • Take a Ziplock bag and tape three sides with duct tape, trimming the edges as you go (carefully so as not to cut the plastic!)
  • Open zip side of bags and pour in gel, sand or shaving cream.
    Note: You may add two drops of food colouring to clear gel if desired
  • Insert decorations as you please
  • Squeeze as much of the air out as you can when sealing the bag
  • Zip bag shut and fasten shut with duct tape

Note:
Clients living with dementia should be supervised at all times while handling the sensory pouches.

Video Instructions


We'd love to hear your feedback on this activity!

Comments
61
to comment
Lee-Ann avatar

Hi, I love this idea and can’t wait to try them out. I am new to activities coordinator role so it’s great being able to share all these wonderful ideas as I have been trying to build up a resource folder filled with ideas to have to hand and that I can then tailor to each resident. Can someone tell me the benefits to this sensory activity for my evidence for CQC? Thanks

Activities avatar

I have just spent my afternoon off making some of these for my residents. I have found it quite therapeutic making them so hope my residents enjoy them

Talita avatar

So good to hear! Thanks for your feedback.

Aubree avatar

Hello!

I love the idea of sensory bags!! now I can use ziplock bags and then secure the seal with heat, however is it better to use pouches and if so, where can I buy the pouches? I know Solange you mentioned buying the pouches instead of ziplock bags.

Thank you!

-Aubree

Solange avatar

Hi Aubree, the pouches can be bought online. However, they were limited they were rather small only (9 inches- 17 cm) and came in packets of 5. Since I bought many years ago, perhaps now they have larger sizes. All the best, keep safe.

Maurice avatar

Hi Aubree!

From memory the ziplocks were just standard google qualtiy ziplocks purcahsed from a supermarket. Nothing very special and should be fairly easy to source. You can see them without the coverings in the video at the 10 second mark.

Hope that helps!

Guest avatar

Sensory pouches sound like a fantastic idea!

Susan avatar

Agnieszka I am so glad you find this idea useful

As you explore golden Carers you’ll find many wonderful ideas

However if you have any questions make sure you share them because we have many activity professionals with many great ideas

Also if you’ve had ideas that worked especially well for you and you would like to share them with us we would love to hear about them

Thank you

Guest avatar

Wow I love this idea!!!!! Fabulous!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Talita avatar

Thank you so much for your feedback Agnieszka!

Jenny avatar

Do you just put a little bit of gel in the sensory pooches ?

I do DT as well as a carer

Solange avatar

Hi Jenny, the amount of gel should be about 1cm or 1/4 inches when the pouch is resting flat.

Some people put a little more, it is up to you.

Jenny avatar

I am looking for more ideas for a client that is bed ridden, dementia doesn't speak, I'm going to try the sensory pouches, memory box, he is 24/7 care, ideas would grately apprciaged

Many thanks Jenny

Jenny avatar

Where do you buy the good quality pouches I made 3 with zip locks, wouldnt they be any good ? Don't know how I did. I want to make a sensory bottle as well

Solange avatar

Hi Jenny, the tighter you make it the longer it lasts. Also, buy good quality plastic pouches. Ours lasted for about 7 months. Eventually, they leek through accidents.

Jenny avatar

I would like to try these as well, I have a man with progressive brain disease and has caused dementia, he is bed ridden and we have so much time with him I would like to find things to stimulate him when he is awake. He doesnt speak. Does the hair gel leak out ?

Jenny

Frances Mei avatar

I came across this activity suggestion and i tried it.I played around using different kinds of beads, buttons and food coloring. Instead of using a ziplock bag, i used a plastic balloon as it has a stronger material and sealed it with heat.

Here are some pictures.

Susan avatar

Hi Leisel

I imagine you could use a glue gun to seal these

Leisel avatar

Francis mei, how/what heat method did you use to seal the balloons for your pouches?

Abbey avatar
Abbey Recreational Activities Officers

Where did you find the plastic balloons??

Thank you in advance.

Talita avatar

Thank you so much for sharing how you made your sensory pouches complete with photos! They look amazing! Wow!

Leticia  avatar

I tried all of this Sensory pouches for my residents and they really enjoyed them thank you Golden Carers

Talita avatar

Thanks so much for your feedback Leticia, this is so good to hear!

Guest avatar

Great Idea! Made several of these yesterday and they were a hit.

I picked up some fake "snow" (small styro beads) at the dollar store to use instead of sand. Used odds and ends of mini rubber bands, buttons, washers, flat marbles & paper clips. Hair gel, also from dollar store worked well, I added a few drops of gel food color for mixing by residents. The shaving cream was least favorite as it got thin quickly.

Talita avatar

Thanks for the feedback Candice! Love that you used all items from the dollar store, perfect!

Leticia  avatar

Great ideas thanks will try to make it for them

Talita avatar

Love to hear how it goes Leticia!

Isabel avatar

I have always tried to find puzzles, games etc that are tactile and challenging for my husband as he is totally blind and has been most of his life. He has Alzheimers and Vascular dementia and having a very high functioning brain it has never been an easy task finding games that would stimulate him but over the years I did manage to find some really great ones but it is a real challenge now. Games such as Monopoly etc do come in Braille but he needed much more challenging games. He loves words and I spend lots of time with him doing word puzzles of various sorts. He loves his Braille books and reads a lot but does not play his piano or any of his musical instruments or use his computer any longer things that were very important to him for many years before dementia set in.. He loved Math and science but unfortunately it seems that these have been the first things to go, he still listens to them via talking books etc but he is now finding that difficult. I am wondering if anyone can tell me where I might find mainly tactile items, things that might be of interest to him . I looked at a lot of word games here and we did a few of them today but I would love to find some tactile games for him. I came across a couple last week at a games and toy store but unfortunately they were not quite what I had hoped for once they were opened. It makes me realise just how much he has lost, a year ago he would have had no trouble at all with them. Thank you for this wonderful site I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into it. I was reading here about those tactile mats / plastic bags filled with different items and as he loved making furniture I think I will fill them with small items such as nails, screws, nuts and bolts etc and all different things that he loved to use with his hobbies the main one building N Gauge rail so thank you to whoever thought of those as it has given me lots of ideas. Isabel

Melissa  avatar

I made 3 of them with different textures of material sewed buttons ribbon on them including pitchers on them as well they live them

Thanks

Guest avatar

I'm intrigued about trying these! I'm not sure my residents would be able to help make them but I'm sure they'd find them interested if I made them and had sensory sessions with them! Great idea.

Talita avatar

Love to hear how it is received Oliver. Thanks for your feedback!

Guest avatar

I am going to try this with my residents as well, thank you so much.

maria avatar

I have made these with great success using rice.

Talita avatar

Using rice is a great idea! Thanks for your feedback Maria.

Guest avatar

I made this today. It's been a great hit with my Life engagement unit.

They Loved it.

Thank you!

Talita avatar

Thanks so much for your feedback Diana!

Guest avatar

I have downloaded and printed many of these activities and they are great

Talita avatar

Thanks for your feedback Julie!

Anthea avatar

Thank you so so much!!! I have tried them and they are absolutely BRILLIANT! I have used hand gel, pebbles, buttons, bobbins, sand and glitter stars ..... not altogether..... ha ha.....but so good for our blind residents, carers and Manager too! Just make sure properly sealed.

Talita avatar

So great to hear Anthea! Thank you so much for your feedback!

Genevieve avatar

Sadly these were an epic fail :(

The shaving cream seemed turned to water and seemed to have weakened the plastic, and leaked out ... the hair gel also went watery :( so disappointed...

Any tips?

Talita avatar

oh! So sorry to hear that Genevieve! It sounds like they may not have been sealed adequately. The ones we made turned out so beautifully and have lasted and lasted!

Jenny avatar
Jenny Health And Wellbeing Officer

I will try make these for a client of mine from a religious group and try and incorporate religious items of the faith. Ant ideas of where I may get religious small items?

Karen avatar

Try the Op shops. I found a whole bowl of religious pendants in our local St Vinnie's a month or so ago.

Danielle - Lifestyle Assistant

Heather avatar

These are great, I have been wondering if these would work being attached to a table so they cant be moved for those residents who tend to rip magazines of screw things up when they a fiddling. I also have a gentlemen who bangs on a table for no reason I can find at this time. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I am certainly going to make some. Thanks for sharing.

Julie avatar

could you use hand sanitizer inside the bags?

Talita avatar

Hi Julie, we haven't tried but I'm not sure this would work as well. I would stick to gel or sand!

maria avatar

You can pretty these up with fancy duct tape they sell in Office Works too.

Josephine avatar

Must give this a try - will try and incorporate this into an activity with low care residents too !

Talita avatar

Good idea Josephine, would love to hear how it goes!

Joanne avatar
Joanne Leisure and Lifestyle Co ordinator

Definitely going to make some of these this weekend...thanks

Talita avatar

Thanks Joanne, love to hear how you go with it.

Marguerite avatar

definitely giving this a go for our blind resident with dementia.

Talita avatar

Oh Marguerite, what a great idea, let us know how you go!

jerri avatar

what a great project ...so gonna try this

thanks

Talita avatar

Would love to hear how you go with the activity Jerri!

Deb avatar

I just HAVE to try this!!!! It looks fabulous! My imagination is running wild now with what I can put in the bags!!! Thanks!!!!

Talita avatar

Thanks Deb! We'd love to hear how you go with it!