Enhancing Engagement through Volunteers
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Enhancing Engagement through Volunteers

In a time when we are all experiencing frustrations about being short staffed, we should consider engaging healthy, older adults living in our communities who have the time and interest to help others.  Many retired individuals are more than willing to spend a few hours a week with frail or cognitively impaired elders to enhance…

Helping People Find Their Way Through Your Community
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Helping People Find Their Way Through Your Community

Individuals living in senior living residences often face challenges in wayfinding for a variety of reasons that include reduced short-term memory, difficulty with visual acuity, and limitations in the built environment that inhibit route-finding.  Due to these considerations, individuals may demonstrate reduced involvement in a community and/or increased need for assistance; therefore, reducing their independence. …

Shedding Light on Hallucinations
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Shedding Light on Hallucinations

Visuoperceptual Ability: “Visuoperceptual ability is a component of visual perception that enables recognition of objects based on their form, pattern, and color.”  (Irani, F. (2011). Visuoperceptual. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, New York, NY.) There are a number of visuoperceptual difficulties related to dementia such as: Common experiences…

The “JOY OF DOING” Activity Box for Adults “GJØREGLEDE AKTIVITETSBOKS”
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The “JOY OF DOING” Activity Box for Adults “GJØREGLEDE AKTIVITETSBOKS”

The “Joy of Doing” activity box was developed by Elisabeth Rydland and Carolyn Magnussen, from Montessori Care, thanks to a generous stipend they received from The Dam Foundation and the Norwegian National Public Health Association. The box contains 7 different activities, an activity book and downloadable theme books which have been created especially for people…

IT’S HERE! The Dementia Inclusive Public Library Guide

IT’S HERE! The Dementia Inclusive Public Library Guide

I want to share an exciting new project with you. For the past year, Margaret and I have had the honor of collaborating with Barbara White (former Deputy Director for the Akron Public Library) to write a Dementia Inclusive Public Library Guide. This guide was the brainchild of Bonnie Burman from the Ohio Council of…

Ilda Guadalupe Villarreal Rodriguez
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Ilda Guadalupe Villarreal Rodriguez

Ilda’s experience as a Montessori guide, combined with her understanding of the abilities, needs, and interests of the individual she worked with, allowed her to create a tailored approach using Montessori materials from various areas. She carefully modified the level of complexity and provided appropriate extensions to match the individual’s cognitive abilities. The outcomes of…

Joy in Slovenia – Polona Campolunghi Pegan
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Joy in Slovenia – Polona Campolunghi Pegan

I work as a family physician, and for the past few years, I have been providing healthcare in two nursing homes. In addition to the most common physical symptoms, residents frequently express feelings of sadness, loneliness, and a sense of purposelessness. I often hear statements from the elderly who have moved into the nursing homes,…

What do You Envision for 2023?

What do You Envision for 2023?

Many people resolve to do things differently, better, or more or less often in the new year. These resolutions typically start off with gusto and sometimes fizzle out quickly, making us feel bad that we didn’t keep our resolution. For years, instead of making resolutions, I have created a vision board for myself. I think about what I would like to see or do in my personal, professional, and spiritual life and make a collage of drawings, words, photos, whatever inspires me.

“WELL DONE!” Showing Appreciation for Top Notch Teams
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“WELL DONE!” Showing Appreciation for Top Notch Teams

The joy of educating and sharing the word about a new concept or idea is always so fun, and the energy following learning is high and ideas are everywhere! But as time moves along, the joy and excitement of the new information wears off and the reality of all the time and effort needed to…

Montessori for Dementia Workshop in Slovenia

Montessori for Dementia Workshop in Slovenia

Congratulations and thank you to all of the students who participated in the first Brush Development Montessori Workshop in Slovenia. The course was hosted by Pavel and Melita Demsar, the founders of Institut Montessori. It was inspirational to be in such a well-designed and cared for Montessori environment. Participants had the opportunity to have lessons from the school guides and practice using the materials while discussing how they can be adapted for elders.