Memory Care Resources & Support

Greetings! Welcome to the new year! We hope 2021 is a year of good health and happiness for all of you, and our team has been busy planning ways to share the gifts of a Montessori approach with the world. One way we are doing this is by focusing each month on one of the 12 Key Montessori Principles adapted by Dr. Camp to support quality of life in memory care. In these newsletters, we'll share activity ideas and information about our monthly webinar that focus on the principle of the month. If you know someone that would be interested in information such as this, please help us by forwarding this to them. If you received this message from a friend or colleagues and want to be added to our mailing list, click here to sign up, and be sure to add info@cen4ard.com to your safe senders list.

To create a place where we ourselves would want to live, which is based on treating others with respect, dignity, and equality, we must consider how we would feel in the place of those we care for. No one enjoys being given "busy work" and we all can appreciate the feeling of working on something that matters and makes a difference in the world. Consider how someone's strengths can be used to help others or to improve the environment. What skills or knowledge were acquired earlier in life that can be used today? We all want to make a meaningful contribution, with or without a dementia diagnosis.

Upcoming Events The events listed below are open to the public and we encourage you to share these links with anyone who provides memory care to a loved one or client. Internal training sessions for communities and companies are also available. Reach out to vince@cen4ard.com to discuss training opportunities for your team.

Join Dr. Cameron Camp and Gary Johnson for our 2021 Monthly Webinar Series: 12 Key Principles of the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle®, taking place on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 2:00 PM EST (Via Zoom). Each month we will be discussing one of the twelve principles in-depth, where you will learn how to practically apply the principles to real-life situations and gain ideas for engaging persons with dementia. Reserve your space now for the first webinar covering Principle 1: Establishing Purpose on Wednesday, January 27, or any events in the series at www.monarch-pathways.com/12-principle-webinars. Register for all 12 webinars by 1/27 to receive an autographed copy of Dr. Camp's book, Hiding the Stranger in the Mirror.

Sundance University Registration Open

Teaching Empathy and Conflict Resolution to Seniors with Cognitive Impairments Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 11 AM EST – 1:30 PM EST

Registration is now open for Sundance University's introductory courses, with courses currently scheduled for the month of January. View the catalog at www.sundancememorycare.com/sundance-university, and be sure to check out Montessori in Dementia Care with Dr. Cameron Camp and Kayce Vanderplas taking place on January 19th at 10:00am CST. In this course, you'll capture a true understanding of Montessori Methods applied to dementia care by learning the 12 Montessori principles and how to approach persons living with dementia using this method in any care setting. Click here to read about all the Sundance University Instructors.

Aimed at both professionals and the general public, and presented in both English and French together with our partners at AG&D, this webinar will focus on how to facilitate positive social relationships with and between older people with cognitive impairment, to live peaceful moments together, despite the challenges of cognitive impairment. During the webinar, Dr. Camp will offer tools to concretely bring such a vision to life and create a community in which everyone finds a place according to what they can and wishes to contribute, in which emotions, disagreements, conflicts can emerge and be managed peacefully, with respect for all. Another model is possible. It already exists! Cost: €21.00. Registration open now at www.ag-d.fr/e-learning-2/webinar2101/.

Activity Ideas and Inspiration

We have selected these resources from our activity manuals to demonstrate this month's principle: Establish Purpose. We will add these to our Free Resources page. Browse these and other books and manuals in our Online Shop.

Toolbox Sort Finding materials older men view as appropriate is sometimes a challenge, so here is an example to capture their interest, or redesigned it for another category (fishing tackle, items in a purse, silverware). How can an individual with dementia apply a task such as this one to a greater purpose? Could they work with the maintenance department or a handyman around the house to organize a toolbox or clean tools together? Use templates with photos in the compartments of the toolbox or on a pegboard to place tools where they belong. Gentlemen with years of experience can help with repairs, or a group could work together on a repair project or build a brand new item for the house. [Download pdf] Centerpiece Construction The table centerpiece allows a family member or community resident to feel creative and proud and adds a pleasant aesthetic to a meal. What is the purpose of creating a centerpiece? To enhance the environment and bring joy to others! Stacey from Windsong Memory Care suggests creating a new centerpiece for each season or holiday to keep the scenery festive and timely. When outings are safe again, family members or residents should be invited to go to the store to select and choose materials that can be used to create the centerpieces. [Download pdf]

Baseball Team / City Sort Montessori Principle 1 also entails capturing interest. Here is an activity that will be engaging and entertaining for any sports fans. The activity presented here is set up for baseball, but can easily apply to any sports teams. Beyond an engaging activity that captures interest, its purpose can also be to prepare for a family visit so that family members can complete the matches together with their loved one. Creating materials for this activity should be done by the individuals with dementia, providing the purpose of creating an activity for others to enjoy.  [Download pdf]

We hope you find these resources valuable, and look forward to sharing more Montessori Principles with you as the year continues. Please do send us any stories or ideas from your own communities that demonstrate this Montessori Principle (or Principle 2: Invite) and let us feature your work with the world! Send your videos and stories to us at info@cen4ard.com and be an inspiration to others! Be well and take care,

Cameron Camp, Vince Antenucci, Nelly Jane Selby, and the team at Center for Applied Research in Dementia

The Original Montessori for Dementia Training® It's a Human Thing® www.cen4ard.com

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