Abstract
Montessori-based activities for persons with dementia have been used to successfully provide opportunities for programming between older adults and preschool children in shared site intergenerational care programs. Such intergenerational programming allows older adults with dementia to fulfill roles of teacher or mentor to younger children or as collaborative workmates for persons with more advanced dementia while providing children with positive one-on-one interactions with older adults. We review several studies using this approach; describe characteristics of the programs, participants, and results obtained; and provide recommendations for those interested in extending this line of work.
Acknowledgments
The program described in this manuscript was supported by grant R21 MH57851 from the National Institute of Mental Health and grants from the Alzhiemer's Disease and Related Disorders Association and the Sihler Mental Health Foundation to Dr. Camp (PI). The authors wish to thank the persons with dementia who took part in this work (they taught us as much as they taught their young friends) and the children who took part in this work (they brightened many lives, including ours).