It is always with great anticipation that MCA selects and announces the organization it will support each school year, and we take great pride in making our charitable efforts an ongoing series of events throughout the year rather than limiting them to just the holiday season. This year, we are especially excited about the opportunities that are unfolding for our students, staff, and families as we partner with The Country Home Memory Care. We believe that the connections we are making through the activities we have planned will be long-lasting and make a positive impact not only in the lives of the residents at The Country Home, but also for our MCA community.
About The Country Home
Located in Morris Plains, New Jersey, The Country Home is a 38-bed community which offers personal residential care for senior citizens with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Victorian house is surrounded by a white picket fence with a beautiful outside seating area where music can be heard playing. There is a large area for the residents to garden with family members, and on Sundays, they have “Family Day” where everyone gathers together. It is a place where people can feel comfortable and at home while receiving the attention and care that they need. The residents have the opportunity to engage in a variety of daily activities, such as playing games or caring for the cat and dog through pet therapy, and we are adding to their opportunities with our school community efforts this year.
Our Special Connection
Mrs. Jacqueline Pisciotto, one of our MCA Head Teachers, discovered The Country Home when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Mrs. Pisciotto, through her personal experience, has learned a great deal about the needs of Alzheimer’s patients and has come to discover that the Montessori approach not only benefits children, but also benefits those senior citizens with Dementia or Alzheimer’s. As researchers have found in their work with the elderly in recent years, Mrs. Pisciotto observed firsthand that by bringing Montessori ideas and activities into this senior community, the residents could engage in meaningful activities that stimulate and engage their minds and utilize their fine motor skills in the same way that our MCA students benefit from this type of work at their own developmental stages. In discussing this initiative with Dr. Timothy Purnell, current CEO of the American Montessori Society, we learned that AMS has recently highlighted information on the positive connection between Montessori and Alzheimer’s patients, so this is an exciting time to become involved in newly developing research and Montessori expansion across generations.
Together with Mr. Steven Richter, the Administrator of The Country Home, MCA began exploring ways to apply the Montessori philosophy and incorporate Montessori Materials into the daily activities of the senior citizens at The Country Home. Thus, MCA’s service commitment started, and we are well on our way to making a positive impact on the lives of our new friends at The Country Home.
Bringing Montessori to The Country Home
To support The Country Home’s Dementia/Alzheimer’s care services, MCA students are creating Montessori-inspired materials to share with the residents. Together with their teachers, the students are designing their own Practical Life exercises, art projects, and Sensorial lessons for their new Montessori counterparts. These are then shared with the residents at The Country Home by Mrs. Pisciotto, who demonstrates to the seniors how to use the materials. The materials remain at the center housed on a special “Montessori Cart” which was donated by MCA and assembled by our MCA Elementary students. This cart and the materials are left on the premises for the residents to use as they wish.
Currently, Mrs. Pisciotto and Mrs. Camilla Nichols-Uhler, Director of Montessori Development, have been visiting the residents each week, bringing in different activities for the seniors to explore. To date, they have presented lessons on patterning and stringing beads, matching socks, folding napkins, matching colors, flowers, and leaves, spooning cheerios, and tonging pom poms. The residents also are enjoying using tangram puzzles; one former construction foreman absolutely loves these puzzles! In addition, Mrs. Pisciotto and Mrs. Nichols-Uhler have shared various arts and crafts activities, including making holiday decorations. Mrs. Pisciotto also brought in the birds from her classroom, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan, and they were a huge hit, as many of the residents spent time watching and interacting with them.
During these MCA visits, everyone becomes engaged in various activities which support fine motor control, concentration, and memory. Not only that, but they have fun and make social connections as well! Several residents have started to sing songs and share stories and memories from their lives. Needless to say, the reception from everyone at The Country Home has been nothing but positive, and there have been many requests to please bring in more Montessori work for them to do!
More Student, Staff, and Family Participation Opportunities
Our MCA Kindergarten and Elementary students will have the added opportunity to ‘adopt a grandparent’ to write to and send artwork to throughout the school year. The Elementary students plan to travel to The Country Home to sing for the residents during the winter holidays, and we aim to arrange more visits at other times during the year. In the spring, we also hope to collaborate in some seed raising and planting with the residents in their beautiful garden, and perhaps plan a day when MCA families can visit the home to help in the planting at a “Sunday Planting in the Garden Get-Together”. In addition, MCA staff will have the chance to visit The Country Home as part of their in-service days. There they will work with residents using the materials from the children, read, engage in conversation, and help with any simple tasks that might need to be done at the facility. Our goal is hope to support The Country Home in making their senior residents feel loved, respected, and cherished.
Meaningful Montessori Outreach and Outcomes
Perhaps one of the most exciting things about our partnership with The Country Home is the opportunity for our students and staff to assess firsthand how Montessori impacts the lives of the residents. By collecting personal reflections, stories, photos, and feedback from the residents and staff at The Country Home about their experiences with working with Montessori materials and interacting with our MCA community, we can follow the progress and hopefully confirm our belief that Montessori is beneficial across ages. We believe that Montessori can build a bridge between generations and provide a place where young and old can come together in a spirit of caring, comfort, creativity, and community.
We are so excited to engage in this partnership with The Country Home! Stay tuned for more updates of our activities throughout the year!
If you’d like to read more about the benefits of bringing Montessori into the lives of people with dementia, you might like reading the following articles online:
Camp, Cameron, Antenucci, V., Roberts, A., Fickenscher, T., Erkes, J., and Neal, T. “The Montessori Method Applied to Dementia: An International Perspective.” Montessori Life, Spring 2017. American Montessori Society, https://amshq.org/About-Montessori/Montessori-Articles/All-Articles/The-Montessori-Method-Applied-to-Dementia.
Hunstman, Mark. “Using the Montessori Method for Dementia.” alzheimers.net, https://www.alzheimers.net/montessori-method-dementia/.