Special Feature: Montessori-Based Activities for Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia

Activities programming in long-term care can be an extension of geriatric rehabilitation if activities use rehabilitation principles. Twenty-five residents of a dementia unit participated in a study comparing effects of Montessori-based activities to regular activities programming. Montessori programming uses rehabilitation principles such as task breakdown, guided repetition, and progressing from simple to complex. It also utilizes principles of dementia interventions such as external cue usage and reliance on implicit memory. Montessori programming elicited more constructive engagement and pleasure and less passive engagement and negative affect than other programming. The implications for collaboration among rehabilitation, recreational, and nursing staff are discussed.