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More Than Meets the Nose: Advantages of Aromatherapy

Remember the adage, “the nose knows?” Our sense of smell has a powerful impact on other systems in our body. Oils have been used for generations but recently as more and more people are beginning to examine the true benefits of essential oils.

Several studies have found aromatherapy to be an efficacious, non-pharmacological therapy. Franklin Park®, after thoughtful research and analysis, created an aromatherapy lounge in the memory care neighborhood of TPC Parkway. Since we have had such great responses from so many, we wanted to share some of our stories and how we are continuing to pioneer this effort to bring wellness to our residents in new and exciting ways.

Benefits of Aromatherapy

With our aromatherapy lounge, our goal was to go above and beyond the normal technique of merely diffusing oils. We wanted to provide a space that would exude comfort and relaxation. Our aromatherapy lounge for our memory care residents highlights three specific elements: touch, feel, and smell. These three elements work in conjunction with each other to create an overall sense of wellness that amplifies the oil benefits of easing symptoms of anxiety, offering relief from negative mindsets, and improving the quality of life for people living with chronic health conditions.

We choose specific oils that have been proved to have a positive effective impact on different symptoms of dementia. For example, lavender aids in calming and balancing strong emotions. This oil has been used to assist with depression, anger, irritability, and in certain cases insomnia. Rosemary has been known to help with stimulation of the mind and the body in the areas of cognitive performance and mood restoration. It can also help with easing constipation, symptoms of depression, and reinvigorating the appetite. Blends of essential oils are also used as we continue to learn new techniques to activate wellness in our residents.

Creating an Experience

More than just diffusing the oils, we offer hot towels that have been properly treated with oils to further engage the beneficial properties. Our lounges also provide relaxed seating and ambient lighting; a place separate from the rest of the community to take some personal time to find rest and peace. Our lounges have been designed from start to finish and we continue to advance this concept by adding private bathrooms with special scrubs and other unique features.

All the equipment chosen for our lounges are selected with care to handle continuous use. Our diffusers are able to spread the essential oils throughout the room evenly, kill bacteria in the air, and change the negative ions in the air into positive ions.

Almost immediately we have received positive feedback from our aromatherapy lounges. Residents living in the memory care neighborhood at TPC Parkway who were exhibiting signs of degrading health showed a decline in symptoms and have made improvements in their well-being. For example, one resident who was combative spent time in the aromatherapy lounge and was able to fall asleep and experience rest in a way previously unexperienced. Many families have been reporting to us that they have seen a remarkable transformation in the overall health of their family members that have spent time in our aromatherapy lounges. We now have aromatherapy lounges in all of our memory care communities and are looking forward to having these unique and amazing lounges in every community including our community that we are developing with the NFL!

Our aromatherapy lounge program continues to grow! We are hearing testimony after testimony of how this program is having a positive impact on the health of our residents. If you have a resident with us that has a story of a positive health experience, we would love to hear from you. We also invite and encourage anyone to come by and check out the aromatherapy lounge at your nearest Franklin Park® community.