Japan & Montessori Dementia
10 of us had heeded Roelie’s call and gathered from around the world - Australia, Taiwan, and the United States, drawn by a seemingly novel combination of concepts: Montessori Methods and Dementia Care. As the week unfolded, we learned through hands-on lessons and theoretical lectures how Montessori and Dementia Care worked together beautifully. It turns out that dementia was both professional and personal for us - most of us were Montessori credentialed and nearly all had a family member who was in or nearing the throes of the disease. Further, as we learned, a significant number of us would develop dementia if we were lucky enough to live into advanced adulthood (a.k.a. “Old age.”) I was traveling with my 85-year-old father because my mom and step moms were heading towards dementia, and we wanted to learn how we might care for them over the next decade in ways that were aligned with our Montessori sensibilities.
Japan turned out to be the perfect place to explore what dementia care that prioritized elders’ independence, intrinsic value, and the dignity of all humans (i.e. Montessori) could look like. Reverence for and elders runs deep in Japanese culture, evidenced by such mundane observations as “elders live near here” signage and a noticeably large number of elders making their way through cities independently - shopping, biking, gathering with peers. It was a lovely reminder that shutting elders into sheltered homes under the guise of “safety” doesn’t have to be an inevitable end goal for those who experience one of the 130+ types of dementia that mostly inflict older folks in our societies.
Our tour could be described as having three elements: Acclimation, Immersion, and Awakening.
Acclimation: First, we gathered in Tachikawa, a small town outside of Tokyo. Having our first homebase outside Tokyo meant that in the first 24 hours, we were living as the “everyday” Japanese did - starting with a long walk through a public park. We encountered a local flower arranging competition, a beautiful shop featuring paper cutting and folding, and happened upon a group of small dog lovers who had convened for a community walk. Several tour members split off and landed in a bonsai museum, where they learned from a master botanist how a 400+ year-old tree had been cultivated into a work of art. We traveled by local trains and ate Korean rice bowls at a local upstairs eatery, fumbled with the ritual of when and where we should remove our shoes (upon entering, not slipping on the sandals to go to the table - those were for the wait staff!). By the end of the 2nd day, we were purchasing train tickets and ordering from local restaurants like pros.
Immersion: On day 2, we took local trains to a lecture by Anne Kelly, a 45-year veteran dementia nurse who had been incorporating Montessori methods into dementia nursing care for nearly 20 years. Seated among Japanese locals who were also curious about the cross between Montessori and dementia care, we were introduced to the basic elements of the approach: use observation to know each individuals’ needs and strengths to inform how to prepare the environment to maximize individuals’ learning and honor their individual selves within a strong, caring community. Anne introduced us to the “4 Ws”: Who is the person? What do you notice? What will you (the care provider) do? What will they do? She provided research-based evidence and anecdotal stories to bring the method to life.
Awakening: The next day, we traveled to Tulip and Poppy, a multi-generational facility with one building housing Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood classrooms and an adjacent facility providing day care programming for dementia patients. We started at “Tulip” in the IT/EC classrooms and observed a beautifully-prepared environment with children who were engaged in learning through various Montessori materials. Next, we entered “Poppy” which was unlike any other elder care center I had ever encountered - it was clear, bright, and busy. Each elder was occupied with a task (puzzles, cooking, caring for a turtle, watering plants) at his or her own pace and choosing. Stations were carefully labelled - everything (including us!) had name tags to orient the elders. After we had been introduced, the children came in for their daily visit. As the morning unfolded,we observed and interacted as the children and elders interacted in various ways: getting dressed in traditional garb for a tea ceremony, making music together, preparing lunch, and working on puzzles. Several days later, we visited a different model - 24-hour residential care where we found many of the same principles in place.
After being acclimated, immersed, and awakened, I find myself reflecting on what we saw - a system of Montessori dementia care that respects the fundamental humanity of each participant - staff, elders, and children. This is achieved through a careful observation cycle that results in a beautifully prepared environment that meets the needs of dementia patients - the vast majority of whom come to life with independent movement and an expectation that each of them has value to bring to their communities. We found in the centers and developed among ourselves a deep camaraderie and shared curiosity about these new worlds. In this case, travel was much more than a tour of a new country - it was a means to connect and to deepen our knowledge about a topic that was personal to all of us and of great interest to the world - how to care for our valuable elders if/as they develop dementia.
Dean Blase,
USA
For more information, contact us.
10 of us had heeded Roelie’s call and gathered from around the world - Australia, Taiwan, and the United States, drawn by a seemingly novel combination of concepts: Montessori Methods and Dementia Care. As the week unfolded, we learned through hands-on lessons and theoretical lectures how Montessori and Dementia Care worked together beautifully. It turns out that dementia was both professional and personal for us - most of us were Montessori credentialed and nearly all had a family member who was in or nearing the throes of the disease. Further, as we learned, a significant number of us would develop dementia if we were lucky enough to live into advanced adulthood (a.k.a. “Old age.”) I was traveling with my 85-year-old father because my mom and step moms were heading towards dementia, and we wanted to learn how we might care for them over the next decade in ways that were aligned with our Montessori sensibilities.
Japan turned out to be the perfect place to explore what dementia care that prioritized elders’ independence, intrinsic value, and the dignity of all humans (i.e. Montessori) could look like. Reverence for and elders runs deep in Japanese culture, evidenced by such mundane observations as “elders live near here” signage and a noticeably large number of elders making their way through cities independently - shopping, biking, gathering with peers. It was a lovely reminder that shutting elders into sheltered homes under the guise of “safety” doesn’t have to be an inevitable end goal for those who experience one of the 130+ types of dementia that mostly inflict older folks in our societies.
Our tour could be described as having three elements: Acclimation, Immersion, and Awakening.
Acclimation: First, we gathered in Tachikawa, a small town outside of Tokyo. Having our first homebase outside Tokyo meant that in the first 24 hours, we were living as the “everyday” Japanese did - starting with a long walk through a public park. We encountered a local flower arranging competition, a beautiful shop featuring paper cutting and folding, and happened upon a group of small dog lovers who had convened for a community walk. Several tour members split off and landed in a bonsai museum, where they learned from a master botanist how a 400+ year-old tree had been cultivated into a work of art. We traveled by local trains and ate Korean rice bowls at a local upstairs eatery, fumbled with the ritual of when and where we should remove our shoes (upon entering, not slipping on the sandals to go to the table - those were for the wait staff!). By the end of the 2nd day, we were purchasing train tickets and ordering from local restaurants like pros.
Immersion: On day 2, we took local trains to a lecture by Anne Kelly, a 45-year veteran dementia nurse who had been incorporating Montessori methods into dementia nursing care for nearly 20 years. Seated among Japanese locals who were also curious about the cross between Montessori and dementia care, we were introduced to the basic elements of the approach: use observation to know each individuals’ needs and strengths to inform how to prepare the environment to maximize individuals’ learning and honor their individual selves within a strong, caring community. Anne introduced us to the “4 Ws”: Who is the person? What do you notice? What will you (the care provider) do? What will they do? She provided research-based evidence and anecdotal stories to bring the method to life.
Awakening: The next day, we traveled to Tulip and Poppy, a multi-generational facility with one building housing Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood classrooms and an adjacent facility providing day care programming for dementia patients. We started at “Tulip” in the IT/EC classrooms and observed a beautifully-prepared environment with children who were engaged in learning through various Montessori materials. Next, we entered “Poppy” which was unlike any other elder care center I had ever encountered - it was clear, bright, and busy. Each elder was occupied with a task (puzzles, cooking, caring for a turtle, watering plants) at his or her own pace and choosing. Stations were carefully labelled - everything (including us!) had name tags to orient the elders. After we had been introduced, the children came in for their daily visit. As the morning unfolded,we observed and interacted as the children and elders interacted in various ways: getting dressed in traditional garb for a tea ceremony, making music together, preparing lunch, and working on puzzles. Several days later, we visited a different model - 24-hour residential care where we found many of the same principles in place.
After being acclimated, immersed, and awakened, I find myself reflecting on what we saw - a system of Montessori dementia care that respects the fundamental humanity of each participant - staff, elders, and children. This is achieved through a careful observation cycle that results in a beautifully prepared environment that meets the needs of dementia patients - the vast majority of whom come to life with independent movement and an expectation that each of them has value to bring to their communities. We found in the centers and developed among ourselves a deep camaraderie and shared curiosity about these new worlds. In this case, travel was much more than a tour of a new country - it was a means to connect and to deepen our knowledge about a topic that was personal to all of us and of great interest to the world - how to care for our valuable elders if/as they develop dementia.
Dean Blase,
USA
For more information, contact us.
