Tips for Making Bathing Easier with Dementia
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Tips for Making Bathing Easier with Dementia

from Brush Development’s 10-Day Toolkit for Care Partners (Module #2) As a gift to all the hard-working care partners, we are making From Surviving to Thriving: 10-Day Toolkit for Care Partners available at no cost. We will release one module each month. Each module consists of a 10-minute video and printables. Whether you are a…

Announcing a Partnership with Sarasota University!
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Announcing a Partnership with Sarasota University!

Brush Development Company and Sarasota University are pleased to offer our Montessori Elder Care Practitioner Certification students a Dual Enrollment option. The Dual Enrollment option is available to students interested in receiving a Montessori Elder Care Practitioner Certification from Brush Development, as well as college credits from Sarasota University. Upon successful completion of the required…

Now Available! Montessori for Elder and Dementia Care (Second Edition)
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Now Available! Montessori for Elder and Dementia Care (Second Edition)

by Jennifer Brush & Margaret Jarrell We are proud to announce the publication of the second edition of our book, Montessori for Elder and Dementia Care through Health Professions Press! The first edition focused on clearly explaining the concepts behind this highly person-centered approach, how to create a prepared environment, and how to increase levels…

Presenting “From Can’t to Can Do!” at MINT
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Presenting “From Can’t to Can Do!” at MINT

by Margaret Jarrell I recently spent two days in Dallas at the Montessori Institute of North Texas presenting our two-day introductory workshop to Montessori for Aging and Dementia. The workshop was attended by Montessori educators and trainers, loved ones of people living with dementia, as well as healthcare and longterm care professionals. The introductory workshop…

Sharing Story & Song with People Living with Dementia
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Sharing Story & Song with People Living with Dementia

by Rita Akins, Montessori Images, Company founder A Whole Brain WorkoutJust as reading is one of the last functions lost in dementia, musical memory is accessible even in the late stages of memory disorders when only some brain tissue is still capable of functioning normally. Because musical perception is processed throughout the entire brain, music…

Ways to Engage Someone with Dementia in the Outdoors
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Ways to Engage Someone with Dementia in the Outdoors

Current research shows that outdoor activity promotes brain plasticity by stimulating new connections between cells in the parts of our brain responsible for speech, processing, interpreting sensory stimulation, coordination, problem solving, emotional reasoning and complex thought.  When we are outside, we are exposed to 33–66 times the amount of natural light that we receive indoors. Being…

Meaningful Engagement – A Critical Component of Elders’ Care Plans
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Meaningful Engagement – A Critical Component of Elders’ Care Plans

You know this elder well. Whether because she is a family member, friend, or resident in your care community, you have taken the time to get to know important details about her past, her interests, her strengths, her challenges, and her preferences. Now what?  Now, it’s time to create a meaningful engagement plan. The Montessori…