Little Montessorians Mentor New Senior Peers

The morning of November 9th was very special for the children and staff of Room 104.  After a lot of preparation and practice, they were finally going to visit some of the residents at Woodview Memory Care Center, local memory facility who is beginning to infuse Montessori-based activities with their adult population with memory impairments.

In preparation for this field trip, staff at MLKMS went through many of our extra Montessori materials to donate to the memory center.  The children helped wash, polish and wrap all of the items to be donated.  The class discussed why the works were going to be given away and why it was important for these older adults to be doing some of the same works they do in class. (see background information below)

The children enjoyed helping the residents unwrap their gifts, they sang songs, ate snack and had a great time together!!

Background Information

A primary goal of Montessori education is to foster competent, responsible, adaptive citizens who are lifelong learners and problem solvers.   Learning takes place through the senses and our children learn by manipulating countless Montessori materials and interacting with others. These meaningful experiences are precursors to the abstract understanding of ideas.
The child is considered as a whole. The physical, emotional, social, aesthetic, spiritual, and cognitive needs and interests are inseparable and equally important.

Recent studies have shown that Montessori-based activities work with adults who have mental and physical impairments and builds upon the older adult's remaining abilities.  As the aging population and the prevalence of dementia increase, facilities serving older adults need to provide improved quality programming to maintain or enhance the quality of life for these individuals. Montessori-based activity programs can serve to fill this growing need. Such programs not only provide meaningful activities but also enhance recognition and memory, as well as a sense of completion and success for dementia participants." (Janina C. Bognar, MS)which focus on developing an individual's unique abilities, are effective in increasing engagement between nursing home residents with dementia and their caregivers." (from http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/show/NCT00079651)
and "(The Montessori) method focuses on an individual's personal strengths, preferences, and abilities to increase a person's participation in facility activities and/or personal self-care, improving their independence and self-esteem. The programming has increased the residents' participation in activities and gets high marks in staff satisfaction. (from http://www.asaging.org/)"
"For an older person who is experiencing memory loss, either from stroke, illness or Alzheimer's disease, the use of the Montessori Method can help preserve many skills while also stimulating the mind (...) Persons with dementia may seem to be detached both physically and emotionally from their environment and the people in it. Helping older people reconnect with their environment is an important part of the Montessori approach to activities for older people. Without this sort of reconnection, people with dementia may become frustrated and agitated, even belligerent." (Montessori and Dementia: A New Vision by Tom and Karen Brenner from Montessori International Magazine, July - September, 2005, p.38-41).