We had the privilege of having Henna Jalovaara, the founding member of Muisti Montessori, the Finnish Montessori for Dementia Association, speak at our symposium. Henna is an OT in a non-profit care home in Helsinki, Finland. This care home piloted Montessori in two of its eight households. During her presentation, Henna shared both the challenges and wins of initiating a Montessori program in her care community.
Kathy Werner enrolled in the Montessori Practitioner’s Certificate course because of her strong desire to learn Montessori in a hands-on way. Kathy has eleven years of experience as a trainer working with adults with intellectual and physical disabilities and 20 years working as a physical therapist assistant. One of Kathy’s case studies was with a…
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.
The First Annual Practitioner Symposium on September 29th brought together Montessori professionals from around the world who have completed our Practitioner Certification Course. Since the first cohort was certified in 2016, there are now over 276 Certified Montessori for Aging and Dementia Practitioners around the world.
Since 2018, Jennifer has been working with Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina and McMillan Pazdan & Smith Architects to design Evergreen House, The Village at Summerville’s new memory support neighborhood. Evergreen House opened in December 2021 and is in the year-long process of rolling out the Montessori for Aging and Dementia philosophy. It is a beautifully designed space based on best practices for people living with dementia. Take a look at the design renderings – now brought to life!
It might be weighing heavily on your mind or just a passing thought… What kind of care community do you envision your loved one living in? Every person deserves to spend their lives engaging and thriving! Take a moment to relax and imagine a place like this… The day is bright and sunny and the…
For the past two years, Brush Development has been collaborating with Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architects to design the new Evergreen House at Summerville, a thriving Montessori memory care community. Penny & Lucy Lou Art were instrumental in providing clear, vibrant images to complement the building design and aid in wayfinding. We couldn’t have had such success without the involvement of interior designer, Sydney Kerschen. The following interview with her is from Penny & Lucy Lou Art’s recent blog post.
We are proud to share this article written by Beth Ann Scruggs, Director of the Renew Montessori Center for Aging and Memory, an adult day program in Fort Mill, South Carolina. We have been in partnership with Renew since 2020, working with the leadership team to plan and implement a Montessori program, training staff, and providing ongoing coaching as the program got off the ground. We are so proud of all they have accomplished!
The Brush Development team has had the privilege of working with Redstone Presbyterian Communities in Pennsylvania for the past 7 months. We have provided staff training, regularly coaching calls, design advice, and monthly in person mentoring visits to help three of their communities fully implement the Montessori philosophy. In this article, they share what Montessori means to them.
The word for this month is definitely INSPIRATION! I am very blessed that I am able to travel to so many interesting places, share my vision of dementia care, inspire others, and learn from those I meet. I have just returned from Finland, Ireland and Romania where I taught workshops and also took time to learn about the culture and experience some remarkable places. So how has this inspired the way that I approach dementia care?
Evergreen House is the The Village at Summerville’s new memory support neighborhood, which is currently under construction. From Evergreen House’s inception, I have worked in conjunction with Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina and McMillan Pazdan & Smith Architects to design this unique community, which will fully implement the Montessori for Aging and Dementia philosophy.
I love traveling, seeing new things, and meeting wonderful people along the way. The relationships formed during travel are some that I cherish the most. Certainly, COVID has put a damper on that for all of us. In 2019 I was scheduled to go to Finland and present my From Can’t to Can Do! Montessori for Aging and Dementia program. Of course, that was cancelled, and after rescheduling twice, I am pleased to be leaving next week for Helsinki! A group of wonderfully determined women who I first met in Prague are hosting my visit in order pioneer change in elder care. Their group is called Muisti Montessori and here is their story.
