The Life Enrichment staff at Clark Retirement in Grand Rapids has been working step by step to implement the Montessori philosophy of life. A big part of that process has involved collaborating the with residents and their families to identify meaningful roles that give individuals a chance to contribute to the community and help others. …
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…
As part of my work with Montessori for Dementia, I have encouraged care communities to provide large print reading material for people with dementia and to establish daily reading groups. Reading Groups are a great way to give people an opportunity to socialize, take turns and contribute to a group without putting pressure on the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Congratulations to the staff at Fundacion Nuevo Hohar LeDor VaDor for enthusiastically completing their first Montessori for Dementia workshop. Approximately 35 staff members from a large Jewish home for the aged in Buenos Aires spent time in intense training with me in September. As I reflect on my time with the staff, I can’t help…
