Century-old Montessori method used to treat Alzheimer’s
A few progressive long-term care facilities in the US are using Montessori techniques developed by Maria Montessori in 1907 for educating young children, with people living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, and results are so positive that a trend may be in the making in the aged care industry.
The Birches Assisted Living in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, is one facility using the Montessori Method with success. The Birches’ Jackie Schwab, director of dementia services, says that “there is no right or wrong in a Montessori activity”.
“The goal is to engage, not to correct. The activities are planned to match the person’s abilities so that the activity is challenging enough to be interesting and straightforward enough to be successful.”
The three basic Montessori tenets are:
1. Prepare the most natural and life supporting environment for the child (in this case, the “child” is an older adult with dementia).
2. Observe the child (older adult with dementia) “living freely in the environment”.
3. Continually adapt the environment in order that the child (older adult with dementia) may fulfill his or her greatest potential – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
More specific Montessori rules applied to the elderly are: respect the dignity of each person; always invite, never insist; involve the different senses; give sincere and specific praise; give choices whenever possible; and make no demands on memory.
