How do sensory muffs and memory muffs differ from fidget muffs?
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I have been making muffs for people with dementia and other people with information processing challenges for ten years. Over the years, I have focused on activating different senses, but also on the memories that the muff can evoke in the recipient. Nowadays, I prefer to call the muffs I make sensory- and memory muffs rather than fidget muffs.
Fidget Muffs
When talking about muffs, we almost always refer to fidget muffs. A fidget muff is a knitted, crocheted, or sewn muff with buttons, beads, ribbons, and other decorations attached for fidgeting. The different materials, textures, and decorations of the muff activate and stimulate the sense of touch and provide restless hands with something to do. These muffs may include, for example, buckles, zippers, and buttons that can be opened and closed.
Sensory Muffs
When discussing sensory muffs, the emphasis is often on the stimuli that the different textures and materials of the muffs provide to the sense of touch. However, sensory muffs are not only about what we touch but about what we see and hear, and possibly even what we smell or taste. The materials and decorations of the muffs can provide stimuli to various senses.
Memory Muffs
Sensory perceptions are also closely related to memory muffs intended for people with dementia. The starting point for these muffs are the things that the recipients like and things that bring back positive emotional memories. It can be about life experiences, sights, sounds, tastes, or smells. It can also include things that have evoked emotions and remained strongly in the memory of the person.
From Fidget muffs to Sensory and Memory Muffs
In different countries, muffs are still most often called fidget muffs. Sometimes they are called sensory muffs, although references to the stimulation of different senses remain occasional in their context. ’Memory muffs’ is used more rarely. However, when discussing tools for people with information processing challenges, the importance of things the person likes and their memories are mentioned. The fact that I make sensory and memory muffs instead of fidget muffs is based on these references and the research behind them.
My product development related to muffs relies on knowledge about sensory perceptions and their processing, as well as research data on emotional memory and emotional memories. This has been influenced in part by my education as a psychology teacher and researcher, as well as my experience working with people facing information processing difficulties.
The fact that I prefer to talk about sensory muffs and memory muffs rather than fidget muffs is also related to the benefits that muffs provide to people with information processing challenges. However, I will return to these benefits in more detail in my next blog post.
Best regards Anna-Liisa