Snoezelen Room completed at Edmundston Addiction Services Centre
Vitalité Health Network, Tuesday, February 7, 2023 – A new service will be offered by the Addiction Services Centre in Edmundston starting in March.
The Snoezelen concept was developed in the 70s by two therapists, Jan Hulsegge and Ad Verheul, at the De Hartenberg Institute in Holland. This type of multisensory room is used to help patients relax, relieve their pain and reduce their anxiety. It has well-known benefits in the treatment of self-injury, behaviour disorders, etc. For many, it is an alternative to medication and a different universe.
Through a joint effort involving the Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation, the Fondation Jean Paul Ouellet and the Maison Cap d’Espoir, a project to develop a Snoezelen room has been completed. The patients (both youth and adults) of Addiction Services in Edmundston will benefit from this new facility.
From left to right: Nathalie Raymond, Resource Nurse; Stéphanie Serry, Addiction Services Manager; Marc Ouellet, Administrator of the Fondation Jean-Paul Ouellet and Maison Cap d’Espoir; Sabrina Fortin, Resource Nurse; Amélie Jarret, Consultant and Project Lead for the Fondation Jean-Paul Ouellet and Maison Cap d’Espoir; and Carole Martin, Executive Director of the Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation.
The Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation is pleased to see this type of project developed outside the hospital’s walls. “We are pleased to be able to contribute to the success and expansion of the Addiction Services Centre. Adding a service such as the Snoezelen Room enables us to meet an immediate need. The Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation invested $30,000 in the project, with the Fondation Jean Paul Ouellet and the Maison Cap d’Espoir each contributing an additional $5,000. This total $40,000 investment will improve the health and wellness of our local population,” explained Carole Martin, Executive Director of the Edmundston Regional Hospital Foundation.
“Since the Fondation Jean Paul Ouellet and the Maison Cap d’Espoir are dedicated to helping people with addiction issues, these organizations are proud to support Addiction Services in fulfilling its mission. Detox is a crucial step and very important to the subsequent recovery process. A successful stay in turn promotes long-term success and interest in undertaking a therapy program such as that offered by the Maison Cap d’Espoir,” explained Marc Ouellet, Administrator of the Fondation Jean Paul Ouellet and Maison Cap d’Espoir.
“The idea of a Snoezelen room was suggested in 2018 by a committee of the centre. The project took shape through collaboration between the Addiction Services and Psychiatry teams. We are very pleased to be able to offer patients this service, which will help them relax and clear their minds and thereby help them manage their cravings,” added Stéphanie Serry, Addiction Services Manager.
Some users have enjoyed the experience so much that they want to recreate a similar space at home. Both adults and youth like the Snoezelen Room because it meets their needs.
About the Fondation Jean-Paul-Ouellet
The objective of the Fondation Jean-Paul-Ouellet is to help people with drug, alcohol and medication addiction issues by defraying a portion of the costs of the process they must follow to recover.
Vitalité Health Network offers its sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Jean-Paul Ouellet, who passed away earlier this year.
About the Maison Cap d’Espoir
The Maison Cap d’Espoir is surrounded by forest. It offers a 28-day addiction therapy program delivered in a compassionate, safe and warm setting. The facility’s multidisciplinary team supports participants on the path to recovery in a respectful and non-judgemental manner.
