My work through the Fulbright Finland Specialist program in the area of Public/Global Health focused on building staff competencies in person-centered care using the Montessori philosophy of living applied to elders. The Fulbright Specialist project was hosted by MuistiMontessori, the only association in Finland dedicated to applying the Montessori philosophy to individuals living with cogntive…
Implementing Montessori involves culture change throughout the community. You can’t do it alone. You will need the full buy-in of your community’s leadership. So how do you prepare the bring this idea to your leadership team? Review the community’s mission and vision. Align your proposal with the organization’s objectives. Whatever you propose for the…
by Mariam Boulos Hello Everyone! My name is Mariam Boulos. I am completing my doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Cleveland State University. Over the past few months, I had the pleasure of completing my capstone project at Brush Development Company in Northeast Ohio. To give a bit of background, when I was looking for an…
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…
We are all living longer, and the older you are, the greater your risk of developing dementia. If we are sick and frail during the last several years of our life, if we have dementia, are those additional years quality years? Do you ever stop and think, “What happens if I get dementia?” I bet…
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…
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. …
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 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…
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’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…
