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12 Key Montessori Principles for Persons with Dementia
What are the Montessori Principles?
Dr. Cameron Camp describes how we can improve the lives of those living with dementia in the video below.
Hear some heartwarming stories and applications of the 12 Montessori Principles in this playlist with Dr. Camp, who shares his experiences and examples of Montessori in action.
Responsive Behavior Tools
RESPONSIVE BEHAVIOR REDUCTION FORMULAÂ – This tool was created in conjunction with our colleagues at Florida State University College of Medicine Department of Geriatrics, who turned our formula for addressing responsive behaviors in older adults with dementia into a brief poster that can be used to understand WHY a behavior is occurring. [Download here]
- Learn more about the formula for understanding responsive behaviors in the book “Hiding the Stranger in the Mirror: A Detective’s Manual for Solving Problems Associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders“
RESPONDING TO BEHAVIORAL SYMPTOMS OF DEMENTIA
 – This handout is another excellent resource from the REACH team at Florida State University College of Medicine Department of Geriatrics. Designed to be stored in your phone or tablet for easy reference for anyone providing care to someone with dementia who seems agitated or refuses help, this guide offers some ideas to try and help someone experiencing frustration or having a hard time communicating. [Download here]
Click here to read a letter from the creators of this tool on how to use it.
DEALING WITH RESPONSIVE BEHAVIORS IN PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA DURING PERIODS OF CONFINEMENT LINKED TO THE CORONAVIRUS (Article)– In times of confinement or lock-down, many elderly people with cognitive disorders, particularly those who are sensitive to changes in the environment, see an increase in their deficits, including responsive behaviors.
How then to cope with increased responsive behaviors? How can one manage this crisis situation, trying to avoid making the situation worse, and deal with the exhaustion of everyone involved? What solutions are there other than medications with harmful side effects? Our friend JĂ©rĂ´me Erkes of AG&D Montessori Lifestyle offers some answers to these questions in his article titled, “Dealing with responsive behaviors in persons with dementia during periods of confinement linked to the coronavirus”. [Download here]
Activities and Ideas for Engagement
Category Sorting for Veterans or History Enthusiasts
Category Sorting is an engaging activity that can be done one-on-one or as a group, allowing participants to practice reading and gross motor skills, evoke personal memories, and enjoy social interaction and discussion.
This activity guide offers instructions on setting up a category sort that may be of interest to veterans of the Armed Forces or anyone with an interest in History or Geography.
Independent Work Station Idea Sheet
Setting up Montessori-based activity stations that align with an individual’s interests helps them engage with their environment in a more meaningful way, especially when using cues and templates, considering a person’s strengths, and breaking a task into steps. These ideas and tips may help you set up Independent Work Stations in your home or care community.
The activities below are a sample selected from A Different Visit and Montessori-Based Activities for Persons with Dementia Volume 1 and Volume 2 Activity Manuals. Learn more about the Montessori principles demonstrated by the activities in the 12 Key Principles of the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® online course.
Click the name of each activity to view a description and download full instructions.
This is an activity that can be done with a small group or one-on-one. It provides practice identifying and discriminating different scents, especially those familiar to participants, and helps stimulate long term memories as well as discussion of those memories.
[Download pdf]
Caring for the environment is important in a Montessori lifestyle. It allows people to act on their environment and gives them a sense of responsibility for the things around them. This place setting activity is designed to improve motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and practice the skills needed in order to set a table and recognize table settings.
Click here to download pdf of full instructions
Create your own template, print a ready to use template, or shop for premade Montessori placemats in our Online Store.
Pouring is an activity that demonstrates independence, yet many persons with dementia, do not get many opportunities to pour their own drinks or to pour for others as a social grace. Lack of practice can contribute to their difficulties in executing pouring and other self-care activities… Pouring activities like this can help reinstate this skill. Remember – older adults with dementia must be allowed the opportunity to pour, and occasionally spill, to demonstrate this ability.
[Download pdf]These activities demonstrate the Montessori principle of The activity should have a sense of purpose and capture interest.Â
Finding materials older men view as appropriate is sometimes a challenge, so here is an example to capture their interest, or redesign 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]
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]
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.
These activities demonstrate the Montessori principle to Invite the person to participate.
Being invited on a date is a feeling we can all appreciate. This activity, originally designed for inviting an older adult with memory impairments, provides instructions for considering appropriate activities, presenting them, and setting up the date. However, care partners in residential communities should consider assisting a resident in setting up an invitation to present to their family members. How special would it be to be invited on a date by a loved one with memory loss? With consideration of visitor restrictions, the original activity has been supplemented with ideas that allow for social distancing and safety, but times like these benefit from everyone’s creativity. Have an idea? Just try it!
A personal invitation is often the most meaningful, and what can be more personal than one’s own life story. While dementia is a deficit in retaining and retrieving recent memories, an individual with memory loss may still have access to memories from earlier in his or her life, and may be pleased to share these memories with someone that expresses interest in them. As always, an individual may choose to refuse an invitation and that wish must be honored. We also stress that prior permission for sharing stories must be obtained from the person responsible for the participant’s care, as well as the participant themselves. This activity includes extensions and adaptations for sharing the stories, or inviting an individual to participate in sharing stories from other people.
These activities demonstrate the Montessori principle of Demonstrate More. Talk Less.
This exercise in using tongs has benefits for hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and helps to enhance one’s range of motion. Improving this skill can allow an individual to help serve food to others, or add an olive to a martini at a social gathering.
[Download pdf]
Purposeful tasks give participants an opportunity to exercise mastery and control, to obtain a sense of order, and to connect and engage with their surroundings. Â Success in these tasks provides a sense of closure and accomplishment. Just folding clothes, a simple demonstration may be all that is needed to give a loved one or client the opportunity for independence in an activity of daily living and participate in a cooperative, social activity.
[Download pdf]
Adding decorations can give new life to some old (or new) hats and designs an article of clothing that the participant will wear, giving purpose and meaning to this creative outlet. If a group of community members are in a club, they’ll feel connected in their matching hats. One of our favorite applications of this activity is in preparation for a Kentucky Derby celebration or summer party. Add to the experience by going to the store together to shop for pieces to use for decoration. Demonstrating how to use the glue to add decorations will help ensure success in this activity.
[Download pdf]
Self-care is a component of activities of daily living. Folding and hanging clothes are familiar to many older persons with dementia and represent abilities that may still be available, though they may not have the opportunity to display self-care skills in many home and institutional settings. Simply providing a demonstration with one article of clothing with support a loved one or client to continue the task and provide a sense of order and independence that is important to many people.
[Download pdf]These activities were selected to demonstrate this Montessori principle: Abilities. Focus on what the person can do.
Fine motor activities can be difficult for older adults experiencing arthritis, impairments due to stroke, and problems with vision. Here is an activity designed to allow participants to demonstrate basic abilities underlying fine motor skills and can serve as a foundation for further refinement of these skills.
[Download pdf]
The sense of touch is retained even when others fade. An easy way to do this is through a hand massage. Sharing this experience with someone can bring relaxation and social connection to both the recipient and the masseuse.
[Download pdf]
Some activities are designed to enhance restorative nursing and rehabilitation programs by enabling residents and staff to become more engaged and interested in participating. This activity allows a person to exercise range of motion, enhance fine and gross motor skills, and practice the use of tools
[Download pdf]Here is another restorative and rehabilitative activity that
can be easily implemented at home to practice active range of motion, grip strength, and the skills necessary to open and close jars and maintain independence.
These activities and tools demonstrate the Montessori principle to Use visual hints, cues, and templates.
Here’s an activity the family can do together to encourages intergenerational social interaction and motor skill practice. It can also be enjoyed one-on-one with a caregiver. Our international friends can make a version using their own country’s flag, or a flag that is meaningful to the person. The use of a template supports independence and success in this task.
[Download pdf]
External memory aids can reduce anxiety and support people with memory loss. Here are a few that can be customized to meet an individual’s needs. Determine the correct size by asking the individual who will use it to read the card, making the font larger if necessary. Laminate cards for reuse to reduce waste. The message on the cards should be meaningful to the person using them, possibly written in their own voice. Be sure to have the person practice using the card. For example, when they ask if they took their medication, a care partner can say, “Let’s check the card and see”. Over time, the person will check the card on their own without needing to ask someone else. [Download customizable template for Cues Card]
These activities utilize the Montessori principle to give the person something to hold.
Squeezing activities facilitate the ability to grasp objects and use tools, allowing participants to interact more effectively with the environment. Additionally, squeezing helps develop hand and finger muscle conditioning, range of motion, and fine motor skill development.
Getting a person with dementia to help prepare food is a good way to promote eating and swallowing skills. The sight and smell of food being prepared can stimulate interest in tasting the food, and can access memories surrounding dining, cooking and baking. Here are a few examples which can be presented one at a time or across several sessions.
In these activities, participants succeed using the Montessori principle go from simple to more complex.
Face puzzles are exactly that-puzzles made from photos of faces! This activity is especially fun when the photo is of someone that is important to you or your family member. The puzzles are easy to adapt to anyone’s ability level by changing the number of pieces, the shape of the pieces, or by using cues or templates.
[Download pdf]
A collage, for our purposes, consists of a collection of pictures that are compiled together for display and enjoyment. This activity provides individuals with the freedom to create a piece of art that has significance and meaning to them. Here is another opportunity to customize the activity, as it includes flexibility for a range of skill levels. Start with a very simple collage and add complexity if that works for the person with dementia.
Videos
View the videos below in full screen by clicking the square in the bottom right corner of each player.
Reading Roundtable® Activity Booklets and Readings by Dr. Camp
Reading Roundtable® Activity Booklets are designed for engagement and reminiscence. In our new series, Dr. Camp reads select Reading Roundtable® booklets and adds even more content. View these together with your loved one or a care community resident, taking time to pause the video to invite discussion and engagement. These videos can serve as a demonstration on how to get the most out of a Reading Roundtable® Activity Booklet by elaborating on the content and adding a personal touch to connect with the story and the person you are with.
Montessori: The Ultimate Person-Centered Approach to Leadership Development, Staff Engagement and Dementia Care
Engaging persons with dementia in meaningful activity, creating a community of such persons who care for each other and are connected to the outside world. This approach is the most effective way of reducing responsive behaviors, and results in substantial reduction in the use of psychotropic medications, hypnotics, etc. In essence, it is a way of living which we call the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle®. Though this method initially was developed as an educational system for children, this approach is beneficial for all persons. When applied as a management approach to care partners, it provides a positive work environment, increased autonomy, and high levels of employee engagement. These in turn result in reduced staff turnover, increased longevity, and better communication. Thus, the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® provides a person-centered care approach through all levels of care systems.
View the video here or on the Linked Senior website
Using Montessori Principles to Radically Improve Engagement for Residents and Staff
Dementia Alliance International May 2020 “Meeting Of The Minds” Webinar
Montessori believed the most important task of a teacher was not to teach but to observe the students and create an environment that encouraged students to teach themselves and each other what they needed to know when they needed to know it. She achieved amazing results! Similarly, amazing results are achieved when her approach is applied to persons living with Dementia, such as a dramatic reduction in drug use to control unpleasant or aggressive behaviours, reduction in staff & resident injuries, and an increase in level of activity of residents. How powerful it would be if these same principles were applied at the same time to front line staff and those who supervise them. Effectively, this would create a new architecture for workplace culture, making it possible for employees to be the best versions of themselves as often as possible. We will review two case studies from organizations on their successful journey to breathe Montessori Inspired Principles into their organizations. It’s a Human Thing®
View the video here or on the DAI website
Windsong Memory Care 2020 Virtual Education Series
In the summer of 2020, Dr. Cameron Camp and Gary Johnson were hosted Windsong Memory Care to explore how to create a Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® Community and ways to address unique and challenging situations using a Montessori approach.
Interviews and Demonstrations
Visit our YouTube page to find demonstrations, presentations, and interviews with Dr. Camp and our colleagues around the world. Here are a few of our favorites:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dementia Care Resources
At a time of isolation for many living in care communities around the world, AG&D and our partners in France, as well as many others around the world, are generously sharing resources with all of us to help ease the challenges that face our healthcare professionals and residents in long-term care. Please make use of these and adapt to the needs of your particular community. Check back here periodically, or follow us on social media to be notified when more resources are added.
Support for Older Adults
The dissemination of Covid vaccines among residents of care communities brings hope and light at the end of this dark tunnel. As we take this step toward the future, please remember to support people with dementia and consider their ability or difficulty in communicating pain, as pointed out by the team atSee Pain More Clearly. We appreciate this resource they have created and shared on their site at www.seepainmoreclearly.org/covid-vaccinations-resources, where you can download a free guide and pain assessment scale to “Support a Positive Vaccine Experience in Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments During COVID-19 Vaccination”. Click here to download this resource from the See Pain More Clearly website.
Our friends at Dementia Advocacy Canada have created a free DEMENTIA ISOLATION TOOLKIT with guidance and tools supporting best practices in the compassionate, safe and effective care of people with dementia in isolation. Download your copy of the toolkit at dementiaisolationtoolkit.com.
QUARANTINE CALENDAR – In many care communities, the arrival of a new resident requires a two-week quarantine, even in the event of a negative COVID test. Along with our friends at AG&D, we are aware of the complexity of the situation for institutions and the multiple pressures they are under. This is why we offer a tool to be displayed in the room of a person thus “confined” to help him understand the situation, to remember it, and to track the time they must remain in this difficult situation: a calendar to be displayed and checked by the person, with text to be adapted according to what suits and reassures him. You can include the adapted book explaining COVID, available in this section under “Reading Group Story about Coronavirus”.
This terrible situation must not continue, as its consequences are dramatic and distressing. In the meantime, anything that can help get through it is welcome. This is the meaning of this sharing. Many thanks to Evlyn Grandjean for his humanity and the creation of this tool. [Download here]
VISUAL CUES FOR ISOLATION – Three examples of external aids to post within sight of isolated people to help them understand why they are alone, confined to their room, and why their habits have changed. [Download here]
EXTERNAL AID TO PREPARE FOR A COVID TEST – The COVID-19 test can be especially difficult for individuals with memory deficits. Information may be forgotten or unclear, the person does not really know what is happening, why he is undergoing all this, etc. Refusal, anxiety, agitation can be expected. For professionals, this moment is particularly trying and stressful. Here is a simple external aid about the COVID-19 test in order to try to ease this recurring challenge. It is available in two font sizes, depending on the person’s reading skills (check with them) and can be changed at will.
Some advice from field experiences: provide this support to the person the day before the test, so that they can read it and reread it as they please and prepare psychologically. On the day of the test, have them accompanied by people they appreciate, whose names are indicated on the external aid. Offer to take the external aid along to the test. After the test, share a moment of well-being. Thank you to Elisabeth Malard for offering what she is using in the field, and to AG&D for sharing it. [Download here]
READING GROUP STORY – This short story, written by residents for residents, will help explain what Coronavirus is, why there have been changes to typical daily routines, and reassurance for anxious individuals. Print this into a booklet format, and read as a small group or one-to-one. Add discussion questions along the way to encourage interaction and engagement. [Download here]
ADAPTED BREATHING MEDITATION AND RELAXATION – To ease the challenges of confinement, take a break, a moment, a breath, to find calm in the present. In uncertain times, many thoughts and emotions run through everyone, including the elderly. In such a context, taking a few moments to reconnect with yourself and your breath can be a precious commodity. Here are some practical sheets adapted from meditations centered on breathing to help ease tensions and find a little calm, even if it is only for a few moments. Designed to be used individually, they can be adapted for group use (respecting social distance and protective measures, of course). For people who have never done this kind of exercise, invite them with a quiet curiosity. It only lasts a few short minutes, after all.
Invite the person to make themselves comfortable and read the instructions to them in a clear, soft voice. After the session, remember to ask how they feel, if they liked it, and if they would like to do it again another time. Do not necessarily expect immediate effects. It is the repetition of the exercises that offers significant benefits. And if some people particularly enjoy these moments, you could suggest that they conduct these short meditations for other people, once the confinement is over. Why not?
Thank you to Élisabeth Malard for her inspiration and generosity.
MANDALAS FOR CREATIVITY AND COMFORT DURING CONFINEMENT – AG&D continues its practice of sharing tools to improve the daily lives of confined seniors, to help prevent or calm reactionary behavior or psychological difficulties. The Mandala is an adapted activity that is easy to implement during this period of confinement. The word Mandala comes from India – in Sanskrit, it means “circle, center, unity, totality”. These famous circular designs organized around a center which can continue infinitely, are practiced in all civilizations. They are also found everywhere in nature: In flowers, cobwebs, cut fruits and vegetables, in the solar system and even in our human cells.
Coloring or making a Mandala is a great tool for transformation and adjustment. By keeping us in the present moment, mandalas open us to greater self-awareness. It is a way to focus, to harmonize and sometimes even to discover an artistic ability. Apart from any spiritual or therapeutic approach, coloring a Mandala allows you to enjoy the calm, relaxation and strength it provides. Click here to download instructions and sample mandalas to get you started.
MUSCLE MAINTENANCE IN THE HOME – Maintaining a minimum of physical activity is essential for everyone in isolation or a confinement situation. This is even more true for our elders for whom a period of immobility could lead to muscle wasting, loss of strength, difficulty in walking, etc.
These exercises are suitable for older people and easy to perform, even in their bedroom. They can be offered regularly by following the principles described on the first page. Offer them at the start of the day, after washing for example. You can also print the packet and distribute it to people who can do it on their own, suggesting that they do it spontaneously as it suits them. Remember to check in with everyone during the exercises and take care of your body too! [Download the exercise packet here].
Thanks to Resanté-Vous, Guy Lecharpentier and Kevin Deloulay for making this available, and to AG&D for sharing it.
SELF-MASSAGE OF THE HANDS AND FACE FOR WELL-BEING AND RELAXATION – Our seniors can be their own best allies when they are not able to be with others. With these two adapted activity sheets, we invite you to help them care for themselves and to relax independently… without you! No need for equipment or big speech – all the ingredients that an individual would need are:
The desire to try a new technique to relax.
A little time for him or herself. (In this period of confinement for many elderly, this is not lacking).
Some preserved capacities (motor and reading).
Practical sheets to access some basic techniques for massaging oneself.
And voila! Now anyone can be an independent well-being facilitator! A big thank you to Élisabeth Malard and Élisabeth Thétas for creating these files and sharing them. Do not hesitate to share without reservation if these sheets are useful to you.
Living with a person with dementia during COVID19: Creating cognitive ramps, daily routines and meaningful activities
In an article published September 2020 by Global Platform for the Rapid Generation and Transfer of Knowledge on COVID19, Dr. Cameron J. Camp, our Director of Research and Development, and Dr. Eva S. van der Ploeg of Soulful Brain, Mindfulness and Montessori for Dementia in Indonesia, offer suggestions to ease the challenges facing caregivers during this pandemic, especially those caring for someone at home.
Read the full article at https://corona-older.com/2020/09/26/living-with-a-person-with-dementia-during-covid19-creating-cognitive-ramps-daily-routines-and-meaningful-activities/
TAKING CARE OF YOUR EMOTIONS AS A CAREGIVER – Many care communities have been facing the unique circumstances of Covid with lockdowns and restrictions, so we offer a booklet for those of you who have been giving everything to take care of others. Beyond the physical fatigue during this period, emotions can also be difficult to manage. For example, it is sometimes difficult to cope with the fear of becoming infected while caring for the most vulnerable. Here is a small tool that humbly offers to support caregivers who are going through these moments of great uncertainty by providing clear information and advice to take care of one’s mind, which has been shaken up in recent months.
This is an opportunity for us to tell all these professionals that we know well, that we are there, with them, and that we will be present and as supportive as we can be. As always, feel free to share and post if you find it helpful and helpful. Thank you to Marie Lembach and Jerome Erkes for creating this resource and sharing it with the world. [Download here]
WEBINAR: ENGAGEMENT IN ISOLATION WITHIN A MEMORY CARE ENVIRONMENT – With Senior Living being one of the last segments of our society to eventually open up, Dr. Cameron Camp explores what it means to be engaged while in isolation in this webinar series from Direct Supply.
COPING AND RESILIENCY DURING PANDEMIC (INSERVICE) – Jennifer Birdsall, Ph.D., Clinical Director at CHE Behavioral Health Services, recently created an inservice through the APA “…for skilled nursing facility (and other long term care) staff on how to cope and be resilient in the face of Covid-19 stressors … This in-service 1) reviews a number of common stressors faced by our SNF colleagues as they work to care for the most vulnerable population during this pandemic, 2) normalizes the experience of stress, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms during times extreme stress (such as the Covid-19 outbreak), and 3) reviews a number of evidenced based coping skills to help manage stress.” Dr. Birdsall can be reached by email at JBirdsall@cheservices.com.
Click here for the training video.
Click here to download the presentation slides.
Click here for a video on relation techniques for skilled nursing staff by Dr. Birdsall.
GARDENING YOUR SOUL KIT – This is a small “indoor gardening kit” to share and disseminate freely to the caregivers around you! Print, cut, and tie together to create a pocket-sized self-care kit, so those that are giving care to others can also have some time to care for themselves. Each card in this kit has a 5-minute exercise to calm, connect, and find a moment of peace throughout the day. Anyone that has time to create these can drop them off for long term care staff, hospitals, or anyone that would find it useful. We have translated this kit from our friends at Diplopia in France, with drawings by a trainer and her young son.
Download Kit Assembly Instructions
Download the correct version for printing: Single-Sided or Double-Sided.
Newsletter Archive
Browse previous newsletters by clicking the links below. If you would like to sign up for our mailing list, click here and be sure to add info@cen4ard.com to your “safe senders list”.
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Summer 2024 – Realize your potential
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Spring 2024 – Refresh your perspective
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Winter 2024 – Misstakes are our freinds
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Fall 2023 – Get in the Zone
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Spring 2023 – Engagement for Everyone
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Winter 2023 – Montessori Mini Lessons
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Fall 2022 – Updates, Activity Ideas, Events, and More
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Summer 2022 – Supporting reformers and innovators in healthcare
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Spring 2022 – The seeds we sow are the seeds of hope
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July 2021 – Use cues, hints, and templates
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June 2021 – Match your speed to theirs. Slow down.
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May 2021 – Abilities. Focus on what the person can do.
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April 2021 – Demonstrate More. Talk Less.
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March 2021 – Offer choice whenever possible.
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February 2021 – Invite the person to participate.
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January 2021 – The activity should have a sense of purpose and capture interest.
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November 2020 – Announcements, Events, and Coronavirus Care Tools
Product Resources and Support
Many of the products in our online store are accompanied by instruction manuals, videos, and other resources.
Click here to view supplemental resources for our books, activity manuals, reading materials, and more.
Click here for the dementia-related resources cited in the book, Hiding the Stranger in the Mirror.