(Chelsea Update would like to thank Joe Yekulis for the information and photos in this story.)
St. Louis Center was provided with three days of specialized training in the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® method for older adults with I/DD by Dr. Cameron Camp and his associate Mr. Vince Antenucci from Feb. 20-22.
Camp is the director of the Center for Applied Research in Dementia in Cleveland, and his presence was provided for by a grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund.
Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play, and Camp’s research has shown that this training, first developed for children, is also effective for older adults with special needs.
Forty-five people from the local community visited St. Louis Center to attend a Special Needs Forum on Feb. 20, which was open to everyone, where Camp laid out his vision for a Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® program that will make St. Louis Center a “Center of Excellence” in the State of Michigan.
Then on Feb. 21-22, he trained 40 members of the St. Louis Center staff in the application of Montessori methods to St. Louis Center’s diverse mix of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
According to Camp, “The amount of time you can engage your residents in meaningful activity, is the amount of time you won’t have to deal with problems. Montessori will give you the tools to engage your residents. ‘Normalization’ is returning someone to who they used to be, and meaningful activity provides them with independence. In today’s world, we must now look at things in a different way with new eyes.”
Camp will be a regular visitor to St. Louis Center during the next two years, and in the second year, will be inviting first responders and other community members to St. Louis Center to participate in this training.
Visit www.stlouiscenter.org for more information.
