Question
Can you describe Montessori-Based Dementia Programming?
Answer
Montessori-Based Dementia Programming is a method of programming and structuring activities for older adults that is based on the educational philosophies of famed childhood educator, Maria Montessori. This programming method focuses on the maintained abilities of individuals with cognitive and/or physical impairments and maximizes them to improve participation and engagement in activities programming in facilities, performance in activities of daily living, and in tasks during rehabilitation therapy. Although many people associate the Montessori method with teaching children, Montessori-Based Dementia Programming is structured to be used with older adults by taking into account their interests, abilities, and history to create an age-appropriate intervention method. It is, in short, a model of how to create and present activities and tasks for persons with deficits based upon models of learning and rehabilitation, which are some of the cornerstones of Dr. Montessori's work. This method has been researched for over 20 years by several different investigators, most extensively by Dr. Cameron Camp and the staff of Myers Research Institute in Beachwood, Ohio. For more information on this unique and evidenced-based intervention, check out the following courses:
"Adapting Client Treatment to LTC", "Being an Effective Home Health SLP" and "Functional Goals and Treatment Ideas for Adult Clients".
Visit the SpeechPathology.com eLearning Library to view all of our live, recorded, and text-based courses on a variety of topics.
Megan Malone is a speech-language pathologist working for Gentiva Health Services. She previously worked for 9 years as a senior research associate and lead trainer at Myers Research Institute, in Cleveland, OH where she oversaw federally/privately funded grants focused on implementing interventions with older adults with dementia. She has spoken numerous times at the annual conventions of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Gerontological Society of America, American Society on Aging, and the Alzheimer's Association, along with several state speech-language-hearing conventions.
