Coma Stimulation Part II

Coma arousal therapy should begin as soon as possible or when the patient is medically stable. The brain must receive frequent and intense repetitions of the stimulus items to be stimulated. Administration can vary from 1-8 hours/day, depending upon each individual. Listed below are the sensory modalities to treat and suggestions for different stimulus items.

AREAS TO TREAT
Sensory Modalities	Stimulus Items
Auditory	banging items together ring bells music loud whistle familiar voices of family/friends telephone ringing knock on door call person's name general conversation with patient television/radio
Tactile	temperatures (warm/cool) touch (different fabrics such as fur, silk, feathers, corduroy) pressure (deep pressure massage) vibrator
Visual	pictures of favorite people, pets, or items bright colors moving objects, flashcards (different shapes/colors)
Olfactory	familiar fragrance citrus coffee flowers peppermint spices eucalyptus oils garlic
Taste	swabs (peppermint, lemon) squeeze lemon juice on tongue mustard salt soy sauce sugar sucker
Proprioception	range of motion exercises (roll side to side) alternating movements (arms/legs raised)