Montessori Memory Care: A New Way to Help Seniors Thrive

What comes first to our mind when we hear “Montessori”? We remember our early childhood years as it was originally developed for teaching children. Today, the Montessori Approach is vital in senior living, especially in Memory Care. It is concerned with individual strengths, which ensures dignity, engagement, and a strong sense of purpose for seniors with Dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The Connection between the Montessori Method & Memory Care “Dementia & Alzheimer’s”

When you’re working with children, you must consider their abilities and needs. What are they able to do? What do they like to do? The balancing act the teacher performs centers on not challenging the students — you don’t want them to become frustrated and give up — but rather making the task a little beyond their comfort zone so they still have the opportunity to improve.

The same is true for seniors with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Montessori Approach of caregiving for dementia has a similar goal of engaging the senses in order to help seniors with the disease rediscover the world around them. Providing the most effective care means maximizing the opportunities these individuals have to reconnect with a world they’re losing access to.

What is the Montessori-based Memory Care?

It is a proven approach that supports seniors with cognitive decline by creating a flexible environment where residents can be engaged and connected despite their unique individual needs. The Montessori Approach in Senior Living is a revolutionary transformation in Memory Care for residents with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is based on creating various daily activities that match the seniors’ interests, allowing them to maintain their independence and the sense of purpose they deserve.

What are the key principles that form the Montessori Approach in Senior Living?

• The environment is tailored to each resident’s unique needs.
• The activity should have a purpose and capture interest.
• Offer choice whenever possible.
• Demonstrate each activity to ensure every resident understands what they are expected to do.
• Activities should enable seniors to be as independent as possible.
• Match your speed to theirs. Slow down!
• Go from simple to more complex.
• Residents with Dementia maintain or learn a skill with repetition.
• Ensure they enjoy the activity and check if they would like to do it again.
• There is no right or wrong way to do an activity; the focus is on engagement.
• Memory Care residents need high self-esteem and the chance to make meaningful contributions to their community.

Senior Living communities should focus on these principles to help their residents flourish in a supportive environment. At Amaran, these principles are woven into everyday life to ensure that Memory Care Residents experience comfort, joy, and a deeper sense of connection.

How to put the Montessori Approach into practice:

As we know, the Montessori approach focuses on rediscovering and supporting individuals with Dementia. Activities with meaning and purpose are put back into their lives based on their needs, interests, skills, and abilities. People with dementia often feel they are always being told what to do. They are adults and often do not like to be told, but they do want to be needed and feel useful.

The Montessori Approach helps reduce and prevent challenging behaviors associated with Dementia. Boredom and loneliness are reduced through activities that embrace roles and routines and improve self-esteem. When the person isn’t capable of “remembering” important information, they should be supported and surrounded by a dedicated team who understand, support, and help with compassion. Senior communities need to get to know more about their seniors first – their history, family, interests, abilities, and activities that help maintain and improve physical function.

At Amaran Senior Living, regular cognitive assessments are done to ensure each resident receives the specialized care plan that meets their needs. We aim to fulfill the most important aspects of seniors with Memory Care, which are the sense of purpose and the power of choice. When new residents move in, we take the time to observe them and ask questions at a comfortable pace to better understand their interests, as well as their abilities in fine motor skills, gross motor skills, cognition, and life history. Based on this, we create a personalized and meaningful engagement plan. We also give them a photo or picture book that highlights their life experiences, helping them reflect and feel connected to their past.

Engaging Montessori Sample Activities for Memory Care Residents: “Life Stations”

What are life stations? Why are they important? These life stations empower residents by reconnecting them to past experiences, reinforcing their identity, and fostering engagement in everyday tasks. Senior Living can provide the principles easily through various activities that reflect their skills and interests. These may include:

• Baby Care Station: Residents with advanced Dementia may feel safe holding dolls, so providing a series of dolls and doll clothes can make for a pleasurable activity.
• Cooking Station: For seniors who enjoy baking or cooking. Offering baking ingredients and a safe kitchen environment can help them recall their happy memories of cooking and foster a sense of independence.
• Gardening Station: For Residents who like plants and are caring for their gardens, which helps them experience happy moments like they used to do while gardening.

What we’re learning is that choosing the right activity for each resident that matches their interest will help them not only enjoy the time spent doing the activity but also come away with a definite sense of accomplishment that can help improve their quality of life. At Amaran Senior Living, we use these Montessori work cycles or stations, which focus on building their independence by working with different materials. Additionally, we encourage them to take care of their environment by doing activities like dusting, cleaning, watering plants, or setting the table for meals. These activities help residents feel responsible and more at home in their surroundings.

Family Involvement in Memory Care:

A key aspect of the Montessori Approach to Memory Care is family involvement. They are the residents’ history, memory, and guide. Senior Living Communities encourage families to participate in each step. This can be achieved through working alongside the staff to create a personalized care plan for their loved one, attending regular events, or getting guidance on how to support their loved one with the Montessori Approach.

Embracing Montessori: A Path to a Brighter Tomorrow

We believe it is never too late to make decisions that bring joy and purpose to your loved ones. That’s why we offer the Montessori Approach to our residents at Amaran Memory Care. Want to see how it works? Schedule a tour and experience how we empower our residents to live life on their terms. As more communities adopt these principles, we can expect a positive transformation in senior living that prioritizes empowerment and meaningful connections for all residents.