Hidden Angel Foundation Completes Multi Sensory Environment at St. John’s Nursing Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Pembroke Pines, FL, October 24, 2006 – The Hidden Angel Foundation has just completed the design and construction of a Multi Sensory Environment (MSE) at St. John’s Nursing Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A MSE room is a dedicated facility designed to heighten awareness, promote intellectual activity, and encourage relaxation. A myriad of light effects, shapes, textures, aromas, soft music and colors are strategically place in a room to stimulate the six senses of touch, taste, sight, sound, smell and kinetics (movement). The controlled sensory input heightens drive and motivation, and promotes self-choice, well-being, social interaction, and learning.

“This room will be used to serve all our patients and clients with cognitive and physical disabilities, affording them the opportunity to develop new skills and become more involved with their environment; we expect great results,” said Allyson Schultz, the Recreation Director of St. John’s Nursing Center. “We feel fortunate that St. John’s Nursing Center will play an important part in improving the health and quality of life of our patients and clients.”

The custom-built facility will be opened in a special dedication ceremony November 6, 2006.

MSE facilities have been found to aide in neurotransmission, maximizing a person’s potential to focus, learn and relax. MSE also instills calmness in agitated individuals or those with self-injurious behaviors. Most importantly, it’s enjoyable. Imagine being in a darkened room relaxing on a foam mat or a vibroacoustic chair absorbing a sea of color and lights rotating across the walls. As soothing music plays you are attracted by the various pieces of MS equipment that are lit up inviting you to touch and interact with them. Giant glowing bubble tubes in one corner changes colors with the tap of a button. A moving kaleidoscope of images is projected around the room. A fan light in another corner pulses with color to the beat music or a child’s voice. Draped over the vibroacoustic chair are thousands of twinkling fiber optic strands of multiple colors to be touched, handled and consumed by the eyes. The effect is both relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

After several years of research, interest, and activities in the area of multi sensory environments, the Hidden Angel Foundation (HAF) was established in honor of Christopher Fornes who had Sanfilippo Syndrome causing progressive neurological regression. “We experienced first hand how multi sensory stimulation enriched and extended his life,” said W.B. (Bud) Kirchner, Foundation co-founder. “Christopher was a very special and courageous individual who taught us all the true meaning of life and love. This is why we always thought of Chris, and people like him, as Hidden Angels.”

Even children and adults with the severe cognitive impairment appear happier while in a sensory room; they tend to vocalize more, stay on task, have less pain, and stress levels drop dramatically. These individuals rarely, if ever, experience the world as the majority of us do. Limitations of movement, vision, hearing, cognitive ability, constrained space, behavioral difficulties, perception issues, pain, and other problems create obstacles to their enjoyment of life. MSE opens a new world for individuals with cognitive, emotional and/or physical impairments providing new ways of encouraging learning, motor, neurological and cognitive development, language, and social interaction skills moving each person toward the highest functional level.

“We continue to develop and promote MSE across the country for use in schools, adult day care facilities, rehabilitation centers, parks, and other places important to individuals with special needs.,” said Sandra Fornes, co-founder and Executive Director of the Foundation. “While just about every school in Europe supports a MSE (known as Snoezelen in Europe) there are less than 200 facilities in the United States. Our Foundation is working diligently to increase these numbers.”

The Hidden Angel Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation, whose mission is to enrich the lives, health, and social well-being of individuals with cognitive, emotional, and/or physical impairments through the design, development and support of programs centered on multi sensory environments (MSE). Theories in MSE demonstrate new approaches to advance education, therapy, recreation and inclusion of special needs populations. HAF makes an immediate, positive impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities through its community partners that in conjunction with HAF, are creating MSE in communities across North America. HAF has awarded grants and MSE services to programs for individuals with disabilities throughout North America.

For further information on the Hidden Angel Foundation and MSE contact:

Sandra Fornes
P.O. Box 822886
Pembroke Pines, FL 33082
phone: 305-458-9335
email: sfornes@cdhaf.org
website: www.cdhaf.org

Or

Allyson Schultz
St. John’s Nursing Center
3075 N.W. 35th Avenue
Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33311
phone: 954-739-6233 ext 1210