The Centre recently organised the ‘Sensory Memories: Resonance of the Five Senses – Sensory Group’, which enabled older people to rediscover the joys of life through a variety of sensory activities involving touch, hearing, sight and taste, and was met with an enthusiastic response.

During the auditory session, the participants took part in a sound-guessing game, listening to everyday sounds such as the sound of rain and dogs barking; not only did they accurately identify the sounds, but they also actively shared their memories. Participants also played percussion instruments in time with classic musical pieces, showing great enthusiasm. During the tactile session, the elderly touched fabrics of different textures and took part in a ‘rice sack treasure hunt’, identifying everyday objects by touch, creating a joyful atmosphere. The visual session featured projections of marine life and sensory bottles; the colourful images left the participants spellbound. The taste session allowed the elderly to sample ‘sweet, sour, bitter and spicy’ flavours, as well as nostalgic snacks such as hawthorn biscuits, dried tangerine peel and ice cream. Many of the elderly happily remarked that these were ‘flavours they hadn’t tasted in a long time’, successfully evoking childhood memories.

Staff observed that the elderly were engaged and relaxed, able to share their experiences proactively, and that interaction amongst group members had noticeably increased.