Independence is essential to happiness. It’s what lets us choose how we spend our Sundays, whether we want to spend money on groceries or UberEats, and which blog posts we decide are worth reading (thanks!). But even more than that, independence is an expression of our dignity – and at Trilogy, what guides our latest approach to memory care.
Coined in the early 1900’s by Italian physician Maria Montessori, The Montessori Method is an education method that fosters rigorous, self-motivated growth for children and adolescents in all areas of their development—cognitive, emotional, social, and physical. It prioritizes giving participants complete control – letting them lead the way on projects, events, and lessons vs. being “handheld” by their educators. We’ve decided to take a similar approach to memory care – encouraging our residents to lead the way while our caregivers stand by ready to assist.
At Trilogy, this means seeing our residents as more than just their cognitive impairments. It means empowering them to be leaders, entrusting them with their own happiness, and letting them enjoy life as independently as possible.
When using the Montessori Method and empowering the resident to do the task themselves, we’ve communicated that:
- We respect their independence.
- We want them to stay active.
- We’ll always be there to assist.
At our recent Valentine’s Day dinner, residents embraced the Montessori Method on a much larger scale. This wasn’t just any dinner – the residents themselves oversaw the entire planning process! Through a Valentine’s dinner committee, they carefully chose the menu, assigned tasks like decorating tables and creating centerpieces, and even designed the invitations. The dinner gave residents a sense of purpose and dignity, allowing them to feel the same joy of hosting loved ones that we all experience. It was a thoughtful demonstration of how a focus on freedom and independence can enrich the lives of those in memory care.
We can’t wait to show you where the Montessori methods for dementia take our Memory Care residents next – so be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook to see all of the adventures for yourself!
To learn more about our Memory Care services, please visit our Memory Care page located here.