Residents are doing it for themselves: Improving aged care through Montessori at Lorne community hospital

Many of us are familiar with the term Montessori as it applies to education, but only a few of us in Australia are familiar with the application of Montessori methods for dementia.

As an innovative method of working with older adults living with cognitive and/or physical impairments, Montessori has the potential to change the lives of people in residential care.

Residents enter aged care facilities when their needs exceed what their families can provide. It can be distressing for the resident and also for the family who struggle to engage with their family member as their mental capacity declines.

Nurse unit manager for aged care at Lorne Community Hospital Brock Shiels said: “One of the hardest things that many carers of people with dementia have to face is visiting their loved one in a nursing home and not knowing how to interact or maintain a meaningful connection.”

Montessori for Dementia encourages everyone to become involved in supporting residents beyond just the nursing staff to cleaners, managers and most importantly, families. The program offers tools and resources for engaging with a resident with dementia. It gives confidence to families and incidental staff that what they are saying and doing is appropriate, which in turn increases the quality and engagement experienced by the resident.

More than 6 months ago, the Lorne Community Hospital nursing home implemented the Montessori for Dementia program by changing the model of care provided to the aged care residents. An active service model has been introduced to encourage the residents to engage in meaningful activities, similar to those activities they have done their whole life such as; setting the table and clearing the dishes, getting their own cups of tea and biscuits, washing, folding and packing, serving and preparation of meals.

By using a philosophy of “enablement”, the nursing home staff has also engaged the residents in latent exercise that will increase their physical capacity, which will in turn increases their life expectancy. The hospital has also introduced quality improvement projects to help facilitate a better environment for the residents – renovation of the internal building, roles/jobs board, life story booklets accessible to staff, families and visitors, larger font name badges, interactive cooking and meal time experiences, resident newsletter and activity boxes, just to name a few.

“Residents are now delivering afternoon tea, folding napkins for the table, putting out cups, setting tables and the list goes on. Imbedded regimes like the morning shower schedule have been relaxed to enable the residents to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast,” Mr Shiels said.

Research has provided clear evidence of decreases in responsive behaviours and increased levels of engagement and participation in activities when Montessori approaches are implemented.

Alzheimer’s Australia has also provided the training for the hospital staff and an ongoing facilitator to monitor and support the implementation of the program and to review progress.

“The Montessori Program has not only given our staff more knowledge, motivation and skills to better facilitate their roles but it has also meant better engagement with our residents by focusing on their strengths, interests and by acknowledging the important contributions they have made during their lives.”

Lorne Community Hospital