Leadership Responsibilities for Implementing Montessori

It takes a team to implement Montessori for Aging and Dementia, but so often leadership send their staff to training related to new programs or skills, but don’t attend the training themselves.  For successful Montessori program implementation, leaders should lead by example and attend the “From Can’t to Can Do!” workshop.  Leadership can support staff…

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Choice is Part of Montessori for Aging and Dementia

A Montessori environment has different activities and work sitting out on tables and shelves and encourages individuals to decide what to work on each day.  This provides structure, but also gives the person independence, self-esteem and the knowledge that they are respected. The Montessori for Aging and Dementia philosophy believes that people with dementia should…

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Visiting your loved one with dementia in a nursing home? 3 Tips to help you make the best of your visit

If you have ever visited someone with dementia in a nursing home, then you know it can be hard to think of things to do or talk about to keep the visit going.  The quality of the visit is much more important than the length of the visit.  Individuals with dementia may not remember what…

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Moving to a Nursing Home: Five Tips for a Stress-Free Move

Although we would all like our loved ones to age gracefully at home, there may come a time that our parent or spouse requires a level of care that we just can’t provide at home. Many of my clients ask me to help their family prepare for the transition when it’s time to move their…

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Featured Speaker in Prague, Czech Republic

Last week, Association Montessori International held the first European Symposium on Montessori for Aging and Dementia in Prague. I was honored to be one of the featured speakers and chose to speak about making the connection between the Montessori classroom and a Montessori community for elders. I shared with the audience the difference and similarities…

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Montessori Practical Life Activities for Individuals with Dementia

Adapted from Getting Started with Montessori Volume 1 by Brush & Norris ((c) 2017 Brush Development Company) Dr. Montessori developed practical life activities to help children develop coordination, order, independence, and concentration. By developing those qualities, the child is able to get the most out of the learning experience.  There are four main areas of practical…

April Update – Clark Retirement Community
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April Update – Clark Retirement Community

By Renee Van Y As with any new learning process, April has seen a lot of ups and some downs with the Montessori program. We knew that we needed more activities for the residents to do on their own (either initiated by them or by staff assisting them in getting started), because individual activities are…

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Communication is the Key to all Relationships

Join us as we recap month 3 on our “From Can’t to Can Do!” Montessori project at Clark Retirement By: Jennifer Brush and Renee Van Y We have made progress in five areas this month that have improved different aspects of communication at Clark Retirement. Name tags When someone calls us by name, we feel…

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Follow us in a 12 month journey as we find our way From Can’t to Can Do!

Learn how Brush Development is working alongside staff and residents to implement meaningful change We are off and running with a lot of progress in several areas of our Montessori project at Clark Retirement Community this month! Research First, our researchers, Natalie Douglas, PhD, Michelle Bourgeois, PhD, and students from Central Michigan University working with…

Brush Development Begins 2017 with an Exciting New Montessori Program at Clark Retirement Community

Stay up to date and learn alongside Jennifer Brush and her team as they implement a model program of person-directed living It’s a new year, a time for new beginnings, and the perfect time to start a new project.  During 2017, I’ll be working with the team at Clark Retirement Community in Grand Rapids, Michigan…

Join us during June, Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Speak out.

Let’s not keep secrets any longer. I’m please to welcome Vicki Tapia as our guest this month, author of Somebody Stole My Iron.  By reading about one what daughter’s journey was like with Alzheimer’s disease, you may find help with the challenges you face. Reticence by Vicki Tapia An unexplained inner drive compelled me to…