Montessori for Dementia: The Surprising Approach That Reduces Challenging Behaviors

When most people hear “Montessori,” they think of preschoolers learning independence through hands-on activities. But the same principles that transformed early childhood education over a century ago are now offering hope and dignity to people living with dementia. Keep reading for everything you need to know about Montessori for dementia, how it helps with challenging behaviors and whether it might be right for your loved one.

What is Montessori?

Before we explore Montessori for dementia, let’s start at the other end of the spectrum with its origins in early childhood education.

“Dr. Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator,” says Evan Shelton, PhD, an applied researcher and instructor specializing in Montessori for dementia. “In the early 1900s in Rome, there was a very poor area called the San Lorenzo district. The children there, mostly from poor, illiterate families, were believed to be unteachable and weren’t in school. 

Local leadership decided that to improve the area, they needed to address these kids who were essentially left to their own devices. They allocated a room in a building as a space where the children would be monitored, and they hired Dr. Montessori, not to teach them, but to oversee the health and safety of the initiative.”

In short, what she did was revolutionary: She hired a teacher and focused on creating an environment that inspired the children to engage. Over time, she introduced what she called “practical life materials”—dustpans, watering cans, things for day-to-day tasks around the school. 

She also introduced materials that would help them learn concepts through interaction. Soon the children started really engaging with those materials with focus and attention, and they started learning at a pretty quick rate. So much so that parents and the local government were completely blown away that these children were even able to learn at all, let alone read and write at such young ages.

How the Montessori philosophy can help people with dementia 

The same false assumptions Dr. Montessori challenged about children—that they’re incapable of doing things for themselves or can’t make their own decisions—are often wrongly applied to people who need memory care, Shelton explains.

“Behavior is a primary example,” he says. “Their behavior is seen as problems resulting from the underlying disease, rather than what it really is: an issue with communication or an expression of an unmet need.”

“Montessori didn’t treat children like children, she treated them like humans,” he adds. “And that’s the idea of Montessori for dementia too.”

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5 key principles of Montessori for dementia

Here, Shelton shares the core tenets that guide everything from daily activities to how staff communicate with residents.

Dignity, equality and respect 

Every interaction, from how caregivers greet residents in the morning to how they invite them to activities, is rooted in treating each person as a capable adult worthy of respect, regardless of their cognitive abilities.

Purposeful activity

“We help communities find opportunities for residents to have roles that aren’t just designed to keep them entertained, but that give them purpose,” Shelton says. For example, instead of simply watching staff set the table, residents might fold napkins, arrange flowers or help prepare snacks.

Supportive environment

Creating spaces that help people be more independent, like clear bathroom signage and personalized photos or name tags on bedroom doors, can prevent confusion and distress.

Scaffolded engagement

Just like in Montessori classrooms where children of different ages and abilities learn together, Montessori for dementia “scaffolds” tasks, breaking them into different roles so people at varying ability levels can participate together. In a baking activity, for example, one person might read the recipe while another measures ingredients and someone else pours or smells the spices.

Invitation, not direction

Staff invite residents to participate rather than directing them, giving people agency over their own choices.

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How Montessori for dementia addresses challenging behaviors 

Residents who have difficult behaviors often thrive in Montessori communities, Shelton points out. “Staff are trained to think like detectives about the root cause of behaviors—and they’re not allowed to say ‘because they have dementia.’”

Instead, they dig deeper: Is there a physical cause like pain, hunger, thirst or, say, a urinary tract infection (UTI)? Or a psychological cause like boredom or feeling overwhelmed? 

“That’s a place where Montessori really shines,” Shelton says. “I’ve had clients bring in a resident who’s been kicked out of a couple other communities, and it takes a little bit of time, but usually we get them into a routine. They’ve got something they actually look forward to doing every day. They become part of the community. And when they do that, the behaviors diminish really drastically.”

Meaningful Montessori activities for dementia

The idea of activities with purpose is key for Montessori, Shelton explains. “One thing that’s done often in Montessori communities is that any crafts they do might have some kind of additional use. For example, if they make a craft, like wooden coasters, they might give them away to visitors when they come in.”

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He adds that one community he worked with grew their own herbs, made infused oils, and shared those as giveaways. “I’ve even seen communities where the residents started a business and are selling their crafts,” he says. “It depends on the residents and what they’re interested in, but the whole idea is that it all feeds into a bigger purpose.”

The bottom line on Montessori for dementia

Montessori for dementia is a research-based approach that treats people with memory challenges as capable individuals deserving of purpose and meaningful engagement. To learn more and explore if this strategy might be right for your loved one, visit the Center for Applied Research in Dementia for a map of credentialed communities.

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