Abstract/Notes: Seniors with dementia living in nursing homes are often faced with boredom and loneliness due to lack of meaningful engagement and personalized activities. We applied Montessori method to design an interactive table for elderly home residents and evaluated the design with four female residents and a nurse. This method offers a range of levelled interactions to meet the needs at different stages and cognitive decline levels of the residents with dementia. The table initiates interaction with an increasing level of complexity that magnifies the rewarding effects and social connectedness among the residents. The qualitative evaluation during a pilot study indicated that the interactions with the table reduced agitation of the elderly participants and increased the instances of positive social behaviours.

Language: English

Published: Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 2018

Pages: 49-58

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-73062-2_4

ISBN: 978-3-319-73061-5 978-3-319-73062-2

Abstract/Notes: Aims. To investigate the efficacy of applying a Montessori intervention to improve the eating ability and nutritional status of residents with dementia in long-term care facilities. Background. An early intervention for eating difficulties in patients with dementia can give them a better chance of maintaining independence and reduce the risk of malnutrition. Methods. An experimental crossover design was employed. Twenty-nine residents were chosen from two dementia special care units in metropolitan Taipei. To avoid contamination between participants in units using both Montessori and control interventions, two dementia special care units were randomly assigned into Montessori intervention (I1) and routine activities (I2) sequence groups. A two-period crossover design was used, with 15 residents assigned to Montessori intervention sequence I (I1, I2) and 14 residents assigned to Montessori intervention sequence II (I2, I1). On each intervention day, residents were given their assigned intervention. Montessori intervention was provided in 30-min sessions once every day, three days per week, for eight weeks. There was a two-week washout period between each intervention. Results. There was a significant reduction in the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia score for the Montessori intervention period but not for the routine activities period, while the mean differences for the Eating Behavior Scale score, self-feeding frequency and self-feeding time were significantly higher than those of the routine activities period. Except for the Mini-Nutritional Assessment score post-test being significantly less than the pre-test for the routine activities period, no significant differences for any other variables were found for the routine activities period. Conclusion. This study confirms the efficacy of a Montessori intervention protocol on eating ability of residents with dementia. Adopting Montessori intervention protocols to maintain residents’ self-feeding ability in clinical practice is recommended. Relevance to clinical practice. Montessori-based activities could provide caregivers with an evidence-based nursing strategy to deal with eating difficulties of people with dementia.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03858.x

ISSN: 1365-2702

Language: English

ISSN: 1054-0040

Abstract/Notes: Includes the following section(s): Artistic Composition with the Insets

Language: English

Published: Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Montessori Pierson Publishing Company, 2017

ISBN: 978-90-79506-28-6

Series: The Montessori Series , 13

Volume: 2 of 2

Abstract/Notes: Halcrow Gilbert Associates were requested to provide energy design advice at the post outline planning stage for a new Montessori School in Berkshire, England. The paper describes the design changes which were adopted in order to achieve both important energy savings and a dramatic improvement in the school's internal environment. The main passive solar features incorporated into the design for the school were a double storey atrium communal area, rooflights to enhance the daylighting of the classrooms and a ridge ventilator driven natural ventilation scheme. The objective was to realise well daylit classrooms whilst keeping heating costs low and minimising the risks of summertime overheating. Measures to prevent overheating included eave overhangs, blinds under the south-facing roof glazing and nighttime ventilation. The paper shows how a range of design tools were used to identify the impact of each design change on energy consumptions and environmental conditions. The paper demonstrates the benefits of sophisticated, yet flexible and fast-response, design tools which enable their users to meet the very short deadlines of a real building project. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-08-037215-0.50020-1

Language: English

Published: Oxford, England: Pergamon, 1991

ISBN: 978-0-08-037215-0

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: This study documents a Montessori teacher education program in three Nicaraguan villages. In each village, the researcher observed the implementation of a teacher education program designed by Montessori Phoenix Projects, and carried out research conversations with local participants. The data collection process spanned a period of one and one-half years. The resulting framework is designed to inform the implementation of grassroots teacher education courses serving resource-limited communities. The framework presents learning points essential for teacher education programs appropriate to childhood education within the Montessori tradition in resource-limited communities. These points include creating context, identifying breakdowns, generating possibility, and using a mimetic construct of time in curriculum development. Additionally, the results of this research offer insights for evaluation, arguments for the essential incorporation of tradition in socioeducational development, and methods in which collaboration with community members, NGOs, and educational authorities can move beyond the limitations of traditional forms of development. The works of Arendt, Gadamer, Geertz, Habermas, Herda, and Ricoeur inform the research and analysis. The research framework is comprised of the theoretical constructs of breakdowns (Arendt 1961), mimesis (Ricoeur 1984), and dissipation (Janstch 1980). Within this framework ontological resources are brought to light and serve as the progenesis to make new the old environment and bring imagined worlds of possibility to life. By converting breakdowns into new, recognizable forms through everyday language, options carrying hope for the future become visible. A critical aspect of these options involves understanding another's world. This study presents a unique model for making a difference in the lives of people who live in culturally diverse communities. Moreover, the model is not burdened by the traditional budget and personnel restraints associated with most development models. The framework presented in this dissertation may assist education reform consultants who work in developing countries and who are committed to give a voice to those people who commonly are not heard.

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 2002

Abstract/Notes: The choice of activities responding to the needs of people with moderate to severe dementia is a growing concern for care providers trying to target the need for a feeling of self-accomplishment by adapting activities to the abilities of elderly patients. The activities created by Maria Montessori seem to be adaptable to this clientele. This study evaluates the short-term effects, as compared to regular activities offered in the milieu. This is a quasi-experimental study where each of the 14 participants was observed and filmed in two conditions: during Montessori activities, during regular activities, and one control condition (no activity). The results show that Montessori activities have a significant effect on affect and on participation in the activity. They support the hypothesis that when activities correspond to the needs and abilities of a person with dementia, these positive effects are also observed on behaviours. This study enabled its authors to corroborate the findings presented in the literature and to contribute additional elements on the positive effects of the use of Montessori activities and philosophy. Used with people with moderate to severe dementia these allow the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs, their well being, and hence, on their quality of life.

Language: English

DOI: 10.2190/AG.71.1.b

ISSN: 1541-3535, 0091-4150

Language: English

Language: English