REV. KATIE NORRIS

The last week in February is always Montessori Education Week. This year we celebrate 110 years of Montessori education! To honor Montessori Education Week, I would like to go over five main reasons why Montessori methods work for people with dementia. 5 Reasons Montessori Methods Work for People with Dementia See the person, not the illness. Dr. Montessori always saw children as unique individuals. When she was told a child was “deficient” and “un-teachable”, she did not def

In Montessori based dementia care, we focus of the Montessori principle of creating a prepared environment. This is my first entry in my series with tips, called “Preparing the Environment for Dementia,” which focuses on how to prepare an environment for a person with dementia to ensure as much independence, success, and decreased frustration as possible. One thing that care partners often do not know is that elders in general and most people with dementia have a loss of cont

In the art program I created for people with dementia, Creative Connections, I use a Montessori based approach to making art activities accessible to people with dementia. The Montessori system is assumed to be only for kids, but I have come to find that it works with people of all ages and abilities. There are many components to the Montessori philosophy, but one main aspect of Montessori is the focus on breaking tasks down into manageable steps. One Montessori teacher I spo

My Mom has always decorated our house for the holidays. At Christmas we had a huge tree with more ornaments than should have been put on it. She hung green garlands with red berries around the doors and put electric candles in every window of the house. She had two life-sized wooden Nutcracker cutouts and a beautiful Santa statue. And of course, we always switched out our daily dishes to the Christmas Spode, and made sure the tablecloth matched the plates. My Mom has had Lewy