Ben Stevens and John MacDonald from MHA’s health team recently attended the official blessing and opening of the new Sensory Room at the Regional Rangatahi Adolescent Inpatient Service (RRAIS) at Kenepuru, designed by MHA in collaboration with the RRAIS.
This project is part of Health New Zealand Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley’s “Quick Wins” programme for Mental Health, Addictions and Intellectual Disability Services (MHAIDS). MHA is architect for the Quick Wins programme, a series of individually small interventions to existing buildings, to achieve immediate benefits for MHAIDS services, patients and staff.
The sensory room has been carefully designed to help rangatahi learn tools and strategies to manage distress, self-regulate and self-soothe, within a safe environment and supported by staff. In addition to the direct therapeutic benefits, the sensory modulation approach is a key part of reducing the use of seclusion for rangatahi whai ora, an important goal for MHAIDS.
New safe furnishings and a range of new tactile and other sensory equipment, provided by the Wellington Hospitals Foundation, supplement the built-in visual and acoustic controls in the room.
MHA was delighted to be at the opening of a facility so immediately welcomed and appreciated by the people it is designed to serve.
