Maria Montessori's concepts have been adapted in the United States by Prof. Cameron Camp (the pioneer of the application of Maria Montessori's principles to elderly people) and enriched with the knowledge provided by neuroscience in the last twenty years. In people with Alzheimer's dementia, we can observe that:
- if the rational brain is compromised, the emotional brain works;
- if the declarative memory is corrupted, the procedural memory works.
People's environment can be rethought in order to support their behaviors and autonomy. Thus, beyond the deficits and relying on the preserved abilities, people with cognitive disabilities can learn to know the gestures of everyday life, it is then that our view of disability changes.
Documented effects and consequences of the Montessori method applied to frailty:
- reactivation of the ability to maintain social relationships;
- creating the desire to belong to a community;
- participation in the activities of daily life;
- revaluation and pacification of families;
- re-appropriation and humanization of the environment;
- radical change of perspective on the understanding of the disease and the person.
Il prof. Cameron Camp direttore del Centro di Ricerca Applicata alla Demenza (Stati Uniti) ideatore del “Montessori Based Dementia Programming”
The work of Cameron Camp and his collaborators has shown that activities adapted according to the principles of this approach have significantly increased the positive engagement of people with dementia in these Montessori-inspired activities compared to activities traditionally used with this population.
People's environment can be rethought in a way that supports their behaviors and autonomy. Thus, beyond the deficits and relying on the preserved abilities, people with cognitive disabilities can learn to know the gestures of everyday life, it is then that our view of disability changes.
The conditions for the success of this approach for the elderly are:
- respect for the rhythm of individual specificities,
- promoting equality in relationships with others
- recognition of preserved abilities
"People with dementia are stigmatized, isolated, sidelined and separated from society. But we must consider people with Alzheimer's disease, or all other forms of dementia, as people with disabilities. People with mobility difficulties are provided with a ramp to access their environment. We must build "cognitive ramps" to give the possibility to people with dementia the same consideration. Using a Montessori approach we can understand how to do it."
Cameron Camp
We build cognitive ramps for memory difficulties.