Jennings at Notre Dame Village joins an exclusive group of credentialed senior living communities that have implemented a revolutionary Montessori-based approach to memory care. The team at Jennings is devoted to building a Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® for our community, earning a Silver Level credential. The MIL program was created by the Center for Applied Research in Dementia (CARD) after one of its founders, Dr. Cameron Camp, adapted Dr. Maria Montessori’s principles for older adults with dementia. Guided by CARD, staff implements the Montessori principles of equality, dignity, and respect into the community. Staff were trained to empower residents with memory impairment to be as independent as possible. This is achieved through tapping into each resident’s remaining strengths, designing environments they can thrive in, and helping them find purposeful activities and meaningful roles within their community.

Communities effectively using Montessori principles benefit from healthier and happier residents, fewer pharmacy interventions, fewer responsive behaviors, more satisfied families, and better staffing and census (Witt-Hoblit, Miller, & Camp, 2016). Silver Level organizations have resident-led committees, multidisciplinary Learning Circles, effective signage and environmental cues, personalization of resident spaces, and ongoing staff training by credentialed internal trainers, among many other milestones.