Dementia: Reminiscence Therapy and Montessori Method

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This essay is a comparative research study into the effectiveness and relevance of two interventions for people with dementia; Reminiscence Therapy and Montessori Method. The two methods will be analysed for their relevance and effectiveness, as well as comparing to discover their differences and similarities, with consideration to the supporting underlying psychology.
In many ways the theories of Reminiscence and Montessori are about effecting the past into the here and now, which in essence is very existential in nature. Corey (2009, pp. 139-150) explains the concepts underpinning existentialism as our questioning of who am I, where am I going, what is life’s meaning, what should I be doing, and contemplating hopes and dreams. These concepts of self-awareness, identity, meaningful relationships, significance, purpose, and of course an underlying anxiety surrounding the question of life and death, are drivers for people to search for safety, especially in a locus such as ageing and dementia. Bryden as cited in (Brooker, 2007, p. 23) tells exactly how a person with dementia experiences the loss of memory and self when she states;
‘Many of us seek earnestly for this sense of the present time, the sense of now, of how to live each moment and treasure it as if it were the only experience to look at and wonder at. But this is the experience of dementia, life in the present without the past or the future’ Bryden 2005 as cited in (Brooker, 2007, p.23).
Many people one works with love to discuss the meaning of life, interspersed with life memories of events, physical, emotional, and spiritual in nature, deliberating at their age their need for ongoing life, when many perceived they would not travel so long.
Therefore it is...

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...fect.Sage Publishing,viewed 4 February 2014, < http://dem.sagepub.com.ezproxy.utas.edu.au/content/7/1/109.full.pdf>

MacKinlay , E. & Trevitt, C., 2012. Finding Meaning in the Expereince of Dementia: The Place of Spiritual Reminiscence Work.viewed 4 February 2014,
Woods, B. et al., 2009. Reminiscence therapy for dementia. Collaboration, The Cochrane,viewed 3 February 2014,
Zinn, . L., 2005. So Simple, It's Genius. Nursing Homes: Long Term Care Management. Feb2005, Vol. 54 Issue 2, p30-31, viewed 3 February 2014,

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