A special store for special needs
Concepts du Sablier (CDS Boutique) owner Marie-france Dozois has been in business for 25 years selling educational tools and quality of life products for seniors with diminished capacity and children with special needs through a catalogue and website.
Last month, Dozois opened her first storefront on Industrial Boulevard in Sherbrooke to make her products more accessible to locals and give them an opportunity to try out anything in the store to make sure it is the right fit before purchasing.
“All of our products are on demo,” Dozois said, “people can try it, see how it works, the benefits, how it can help.”
Taking things a step further, Dozois said that rather than just hire a cashier to sell products, CDS boutique has an employee, Jocelyne Blais, who is a certified special education instructor.
Blais is on hand to help other professionals or parents coming into the store learn about what is available and how things work.
The idea behind CDS Boutique is simple, according to Dozois.
“We have to respect who they are,” she said, whether it is a senior in the process of losing their autonomy, or a child working towards gaining autonomy.
The products in Dozois’ store are designed to accommodate all skill levels and offer tools, activities and games that help clients reach their full potential and have a good quality of life.
Dozois used the example of a weighted doll, which is used with Alzheimer’s patients. It looks like a
baby, has flexible fingers, a diaper, and even closes its eyes. She explained that for Alzheimer’s sufferers, many of their choices, daily tasks and responsibilities are relegated to caregivers.
The instinct to give affection, to take care of something, that hangs on till the end, Dozois said.
Another popular item among seniors is a lifelike cat that purrs, licks its paws, meows and reacts based on sensors in various places on the animal.
It is a great comfort for seniors who move into a residence and aren’t able to bring their pet, she said.
Dozois said she has encountered clients who have come into the store and broken down in tears.
“They don’t know where to start,” she said, referring to clients whose loved one may just have received a diagnosis and they feel powerless to help. “What a responsibility,” Dozois said. CDS boutique has fidget spinners, yes, but that barely cracks the surface of the store’s offerings, Dozois said. There are games and tools to stimulate sensory and motor skills, communication, emotional communication, posture, concentration, to name a few.
The store, located at 4118 Boulevard Industrial, is open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.
Dozois added that in addition to the store, there is a room upstairs where she intends to host workshops and activities in the coming months.