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Close your eyes and let a strong memory fill you up…
Did you recall more than just a vision? Perhaps it was the comforting smell of baked goods, the feel of a warm hug or the taste of your favourite tea. That’s because your senses, in particular smell, are intrinsically linked to emotion and memory.
Now what if we told you that keeping your eyes, nose, ears, fingers and tastebuds stimulated is one of the best (and easiest) ways you can lower your risk of developing dementia.
Just as our muscles and our brains need consistent training, so to do our senses. The good news is stimulating your senses is not only good for your brain but can also double as a creative hobby too. Here are five fun activities to keep your senses firing all through the years.
Discover new scents with perfume making
Losing your sense of smell can be an early warning sign of dementia or cognitive decline but there are some easy things you can do to keep your nose strong. Studies have shown that ‘smell training’, or exposing yourself to a robust range of smells, can enhance and improve the olfactory sense.
Janelle Donnelly and Huynh Hai Yen, perfumers and co-owners of MetaScent, believe scent has much more power than something that just ‘smells good’.
“Fragrance affects your olfactory sense and links to your brain. So it can lift mood and trigger memory,” Yen says.
Like anything, the more you use your nose the stronger it gets. One of the best ways to stay connected to your sense of smell is to stimulate it with new fragrances and aromas.
Savour all the flavours with tea tasting
Take some time out to tantalise your tastebuds because tasting a whole range of healthy flavours can help slow brain decline.
Sarah de Witt, co-founder and owner of tea company Impala + Peacock believes that taste and smell is something you can definitely train.
In Sarah’s tea blending classes, students hone in on their taste and smell. They go from describing the tea as simply tasting “sweet” to tapping into every nuance of it and identifying flavours like lemongrass, eucalyptus and ginger.
Your tastebuds naturally weaken as you age, so staying engaged through creative activities like tea tasting or cooking is a quick way to boost your appetite and decrease the risks of developing dementia or experiencing cognitive decline.
Sink your fingers into skincare making
Studies have shown that tactile stimulation can increase feelings of trust and relaxation in people living with dementia. They also allow caregivers an opportunity to interact with their loved one or patient in a more impactful way.
Polly McCourt and Lu Wilson, self-professed skincare nerds and co-owners of Sage Cosmetic Coaching, focus on not only the smell but the calming feeling of skincare in all of their workshops.
“Lu and I, we are messy makers,” Polly says. “When we're putting together a recipe, we consider not only making it smell amazing but how is it going to feel on the skin.”
Think everything from gritty exfoliating cleansers to silky smooth serums. Touch is a universal language, and exposing your fingertips and hands to a range of textures helps you feel grounded, promotes feelings of safety and wellbeing, and engages your brain in a new way.
Turn up the tunes and paint your feels
Did you know listening to your favourite music can prevent cognitive decline? This simple, yet powerful tool improves brain plasticity and according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, it can also increase cognitive performance in people already living with dementia.
In fact, musical memories are often undamaged by dementia, meaning it’s one of the most valuable senses to lean on when living with the disease.
Resin artist Chelsey Foskett uses music in her classes as a way for people to relax and access their creative side. “Listening to music, I love it,” she says. “Once you do that [play music], people feel comfortable, that's when they start to let go and have a lot of fun.”
The key? Create to music that’s the most meaningful to you.
Admire the beauty of fresh blooms with flower arranging
Visual impairment is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline, which means that looking up from your screen and taking in the colours, shapes, and textures of the natural world can be more powerful than you might think.
Jemina Richards, florist and owner of Bloomin’ Marvellous, recalls fond memories whenever she sees certain florals in seasons. “When daffodils come in season, it always makes me smile,” she says. “As soon as I see them in season, I have a memory of picking daffodils at night and Mum helping us.”
Appreciating the beauty of art, nature and the world around us is a soul-soothing way to stimulate the link between vision and memory. Admiring the colours of botanicals or observing the patterns in a painting can also help reduce agitation and remove communication barriers, which is especially helpful for those living with dementia.
ClassBento donates to Dementia Australia with every booking and is doubling donations this Dementia Action Week.
