MONTESSORI ACTIVITIES

All older adults and persons with dementia have the right to a caring community that is aligned with the individual’s needs, interests, abilities, skills, and strengths for optimal social, emotional, physical, and cognitive support. The Montessori environment is carefully prepared to meet and nurture the needs of each person, providing opportunity for success, choice, enhanced independence, and self-initiated activity. Lives are enriched through the engagement in roles, routines, and activities, fostering a sense of belonging and well-being.

BENEFITS OF THE MONTESSORI APPROACH

Montessori principles result in increased safety, reduced agitation and wandering, and promote improved quality of life, self esteem, and independence. They give residents a reason to get out of bed every day and can complement other models of care. By using Spaced Retrieval Techniques, our residents can learn procedures and routines to increase independence and safety such as taking medication, locking doors, using walking frame,s and other strategies designed to maintain independence and manage anxiety or other behaviors that are the result of unmet needs. The end result of these strategies is increased independence and meaningful activity.

A Montessori environment for dementia can result in:

• Reduction in use of psychotropic medications
• Reduction in incident reports
• Increased staff satisfaction
• Increased family satisfaction
• Decreased workers compensation claims
• Decreased staff sick leave
• Decrease resident agitation
• Decrease in falls
• Increased independence
• Longer support for community living
• Decreased complaints
• Decreased agitation