Hands-on projects may stimulate conversation
Increased motor skills help across the board
Montessori-based programming is based upon the work of Maria Montessori, an Italian physician who, in the early 1900s, introduced the concept of enabling children to learn at their own pace with manipulatives and tools that help them understand concrete ideas before moving on to abstract ideas.
"The use of Montessori activities in home health is designed to help dementia patients maintain or improve skills they need in their daily lives," says Kathy Kaiser, RN, BSN, administrator of Menorah Park Home Health Care Services in Beachwood, OH. Although each patient’s ability to improve a skill varies according to the stage of the disease, the greatest achievement is a sense of accomplishment and a social connection with the home health aide who is spending time with the patient, she adds.
It’s important to pick an activity to which a patient can relate, suggests Jan McGillick, MA, senior director of education and outreach for the Alzheimer’s Association of St. Louis. For example, an aide with a patient who had enjoyed traveling collects inexpensive postcards from different places and puts them in a basket that she brings on her visits to the patient, she says.
"The aide makes a cup of tea for herself and the patient, and they sit down to look at the cards and talk about the different places. Not only is this an enjoyable conversation for the patient, but she is using fine motor skills to remove the cards from the basket and mental skills to focus on the cards and discuss the different locations," she adds.
Other activities that can be introduced include:
Sorting/matching
By sorting pieces of cloth, cardboard shapes, or even pictures from magazines, the patient stimulates mental skills, McGillick says. The sorting or matching activity can focus on shapes, colors, and similar categories.
Whenever possible, make the activity relate to the patient’s experience or interest, suggests Kaiser. For example, if the patient was an interior designer, use scraps of carpet or wallpaper in the sorting activity. Not only will this stimulate the patient’s mental and sensory skills as each item is handled, but it may also prompt conversation about the patient’s former occupation, she adds.
Motor skills
Place golf balls into a muffin pan and ask the patient to use an ice cream scoop to remove them and place them in a basket, Kaiser suggests. The objects are large enough for patients to handle easily, but activity stimulates and strengthens the same motor skills used for self-feeding, she adds.
Other fine motor skill activities are stringing beads and cutting activities, McGillick says. Cutting paper is more meaningful if you have the patient cut coupons that can be used by family members, she says.
Cooking
If your patients enjoyed cooking, bring a box of muffin mix and cook together, McGillick says. The mixes are not complicated, and your patients will enjoy the sense of accomplishment when they can offer the treats to their families, she adds. The stirring, measuring, and pouring involved in preparing the muffins also are good motor skill activities, she adds.
Gardening
Patients who used to garden as a hobby enjoy activities that involve identification of plants or repotting plants, McGillick says. The aide can look through gardening books or magazines with the patients to encourage conversation about their hobby.
Personal grooming
"If your patient is someone who always has been concerned about hair, makeup, or nails, be sure to recognize the concern and offer to paint fingernails or fix makeup," McGillick says. For someone who always spent time on appearance, personal grooming meant more than just brushing teeth and being clean, she adds. By doing something as simple as painting fingernails, you can improve the patient’s self-esteem, she explains.
Montessori-based programming is based upon the work of Maria Montessori, an Italian physician who, in the early 1900s, introduced the concept of enabling children to learn at their own pace with manipulatives and tools that help them understand concrete ideas before moving on to abstract ideas.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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