Professor Lesley Collier

Professor

Faculty of Health and Wellbeing

Lesley.Collier@winchester.ac.uk

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Biography

Professor Lesley Collier is an Occupational Therapist working within the Faculty of Health and Well-being, University of Winchester. Lesley has a clinical interest in sensory integration and cognitive impairment. She has led and participated in national and international research programmes related to sensory processing and sensory stimulation for people with cognitive impairment. Outcomes from this work are widely published and she leads collaborative partnerships with charities, industry and the NHS to improve the translation of research into practice. She is also an experienced educator having taught health care professionals at pre and post registration level for over 24 years

Lesley is a HCPC registered Occupational Therapist with a specialist interest in dementia, sensory processing and sensory integration

Before moving to academia Lesley worked as an occupational therapist in Dorset specialising in neurology and dementia care. She particularly enjoyed working with those with severe cognitive impairment and perceptual disorders and developed an interest in using sensory approaches to address these problems. She now teaches at both under graduate and post graduate level with a focus on neurology, sensory and information processing and sensory approaches for people with cognitive impairment.

Lesley holds a number of research grants exploring the use of sensory approaches with people with cognitive impairment and works in partnership with Sensory Integration Education UK & Ireland, members of the TAG European Consortium, and alongside a number of UK based charities. She is committed to supporting and developing therapists for the future. Lesley is a mentor for the National Institute for Health Research providing support for those persuing clinical academic careers, Occupational Therapists working in emerging areas of practice, and supervising occupational therapists and other clinical staff undertaking PhDs.

Areas of expertise

Occupational Therapy

Dementia and cognitive impairment

Publications

Du Toit, S. Cheung, G. Peri, K. Collier, L. Etherton-Beer, C. Lovarini, M. Embracing cultural diversity engaging leadership to voice what meaningful engagement signifies for residents with advanced dementia. J Cross Cult Gerontol 35, 4967 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-019-09387-3

Jakob, A. Collier, L. and Ivanova, N. Implementing sensory design for care-home residents in London In: Niedderer, Kristina, Ludden, Geke, Cain, Rebecca and Wolfel, Christian, (eds.) Designing with and for People with Dementia: Wellbeing, Empowerment and Happiness. TUDpress, Dresden, Germany, pp. 109-122. ISBN 9783959081832

Collier, L Tai Chi, Wii Fit and rope skipping exercise interventions are particularly effective in improving balance for your people with intellectual disabilities - Commentary. Evidence Based Nursing. 2019 DOI:ebnurs-2018-103024.

Collier, L. Staal, J. The use of multisensory stimulation to reduce stress and burnout in nurses; a randomised controlled trial. International Journal of Complementary Medicine. 2018, 11(1): 00346.

Gallant, N. Green, S. Collier,L. Improving meal times for people with dementia in acute hospitals: A mixed methods study. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. 2018, 14(7): 1643.

Jakob, A. Collier, L. Sensory design for dementia care the benefits of textiles. Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1080/20511787.2018.1449078

Evans, N. Collier, L. An exploration of the experience of using calendar reminders for people with dementia and family carers. Dementia: the international journal of social research and practice, 2017, doi.org/10.1177/1471301217734916.

Bowser, A. Link, W. Collier, L. Donovan Hall, M. A Qualitative Study Exploring the Causes of Boredom for Men with a Psychosis in a Forensic Setting. OT in Mental Health, 2017, doi.org/10.1080/0164212X.2017.1331151.

Jakob, A. Collier, L. Sensory enrichment for people living with dementia: increasing the benefits of multisensory environments in dementia care through design. Design for Health, 2017, 1, 115-133.

Collier, L. Jakob, A. The multi-sensory environment (MSE) in dementia care: examining its role and quality from a design perspective. Health Environments Research and Design Journal. 2017, 1-13.

Collier, L. & Pool, J. Special Issue: Dimensions of dementia. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2016, 79(2), 63-64.

Jakob, A. Collier, L How to make a sensory room for people living with dementia. Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Design4Health, 2015: ISBN 978-1-84387-385-3.

Haji Ali,M. Koh, D. Collier, L. Gobbi, M. Community stroke rehabilitation nursing and its relevance in Brunei: A literature review. Brunei Darussalam Journal of Health. 2014: 5(1), pp.80-87.

Jacob, A. Collier, L. Multi-sensory environments in dementia care: the role of design An interdisciplinary research collaboration between design and health care. Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on Design 4 Health, 2013. ISBN:978-1-84387-373-0

Montesantos, S. Caillibotte, G. Katz, M. Majoral, C. Pichelin, M. Texerau, J. Collier, L. Tossici-Bolt, L. Fleming, J. Conway, J. A preliminary structural analysis of the upper airways of healthy and moderate persistent asthmatic patients. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 185,2012. A6416.

Conway, J. Fleming, J. Majoral, C. Collier, L. Katz, I. Perchet, D. Peebles, C. Tossici-Bolt, L Caillibotte, G. Pichelin, M. Sauret, V. Martonen, T. Apiou-Sbirlea, G. Meullinger, B. Kroneberg, P. Gleske, J. Scheuch, G. Texereau, J. Martin, A. Montesantos, S. Bennett, M. Controlled, parametric, individualised, 2-D and 3-D imaging measurements of aerosol deposition in the respiratory tract of healthy human subjects for model validation. Journal of Aerosol Science,52, 2012, pp1-17.

Collier, L. McPherson, K. Ellis-Hill, C. Bucks, R. The use of multi-sensory environments to improve functional performance in older people with dementia: a randomised controlled trial. American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias. 25(8), 2010, 698-703.

Collier, L. McPherson, K. Ellis-Hill, C. Bucks, R. The use of multi-sensory stimulation to improve functional performance in older people with dementia. Clinical Rehabilitation, 22, 2008, pp.853 856.

Collier, L. The use of multi-sensory stimulation. British Journal Occupational Therapy, 71(8), Supplement 1, 2008, pp. 113-114.

Collier, L. Truman, J. Exploring the multi-sensory environment as a leisure resource for people with complex neurological disabilities. Neurorehabilitation, 23(4), 2008, pp.361-367.

*Jason A. Staal, Amanda Sacks, Robert Matheis, Lesley Collier, Tina Calia, Henry Hanif, Eugene S. Kofman. The Effects of Snoezelen (Multi-Sensory Behavior Therapy) and Psychiatric Care on Agitation, Apathy, and Activities of Daily Living in Dementia Patients on a Short Term Geriatric Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 37(4), 2007, pp.357-370.

Staal J, Sacks A, Calia T, Moore J, Pinkney L, Hanif H, Beilfus R. The effect of snoezelen (Multi-Sensory Behavior Therapy- MSBT) to increase independence in activities of daily living and reduce agitation and apathy of patients with dementia on a short term geriatric psychiatric unit. Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 1(1). (Supplement), 2005, pp.61.

Staal, J. Pinkney, L. Roane, D. Assessment of stimulus preferences in multi-sensory environment therapy for older people with dementia. British Journal Occupational Therapy, 66(12), 2003, pp.542-550.

Pinkney, L. Multi-sensory environments in psychiatric care. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment l 8, 2002, pp.451 - 452.

Pinkney, L. Assessment and the multi-sensory environment. British Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation, 7(4), 2000, pp.158-162.

Pinkney, L. Exploring the myth of multi-sensory environments. British Journal Occupational Therapy, 61(8), 1998, pp.365-366.

Pinkney, L. A comparison of the Snoezelen environment and a music relaxation group on the mood and behaviour of patients with senile dementia. British Journal Occupational Therapy, 60(5), 1997, pp.209-212.

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Research interests

Research interests include:

Sensory processing
Effect of sensory stimulation on occupational performance
Effect of environmental design on cognition

Lesley is an occupational therapist with a long standing interest in sensory processing in people with cognitive deficits. Sensory processing includes the physiological and behavioural mechanisms employed to modify and regulate the environment in order to maintain occupational performance. I have been exploring sensory processing in the normal population to identify how functional performance errors may be challenged by the activities we engage in. This has implications for people with dementia who find activity challenging. Lesley's research findings are that by modifying the sensory environment people with dementia find it easier to perform activities of daily living. By having an understanding of the mechanisms of sensory processing occupational therapists and care staff are able to structure activity in a more appropriate way to achieve a sense of well-being and an improved level of independence. The studies she has been engaged in have informed the area of sensory processing research and have been translated into practice via workshops and seminars internationally.