--- title: "Montessori Inspired Lifestyle®: Empowering People Living with Dementia [VIDEO]" description: Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® instills respect, dignity and equality as a way of life for memory care residents. image: https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/hubfs/Montessori%20Inspired%20Lifestyle%C2%AE%2c%20no%20play%20button-1-1.png --- [![](https://thegoodmangroup.com/wp-content/themes/thegoodmangroup/assets/logos/tgg-bug.svg)](https://thegoodmangroup.com) - [Who We Are](http://thegoodmangroup.com/who-we-are/) - [What We Manage](http://thegoodmangroup.com/what-we-manage/) - [What We Develop](https://thegoodmangroup.com/what-we-develop/) - [How We Innovate](https://thegoodmangroup.com/how-we-innovate/) - [Connect With Us](https://thegoodmangroup.com/connect-with-us/) - [Blog](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/) # moments matter A Senior Living Resource Blog from The Goodman Group ## Montessori Inspired Lifestyle®: Empowering People Living with Dementia \[VIDEO\] Posted by [The Goodman Group](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/author/the-goodman-group) on October 15, 2026 - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Team members from [The Residence at Timber Pines in Spring Hill, FL, a community managed by The Goodman Group](https://residenceattimberpines.com/?__hstc=265785488.a80991ee99c928d0a8e65bd97ec52aea.1659543863098.1673365246187.1673555727947.63&__hssc=265785488.2.1673555727947&__hsfp=2127007504), have seen firsthand the positive impact the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® approach to care has on residents. They’ve seen residents have a renewed sense of purpose, dignity and respect from their peers. Much of this comes from team members connecting with residents as family and as fellow members of a community. # What Is Montessori Inspired Lifestyle? Montessori Inspired Lifestyle is a positive approach to providing care for adults living with [dementia or Alzheimer's](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/visiting-patient-with-dementia). It allows residents to focus on their individual strengths and engage in meaningful activities. “Montessori originally was an educational system developed by a physician, Maria Montessori. She decided that the best way to enable and educate was to create individuals who were self-sufficient, confident and able to make decisions about their own lives,” explains Dr. Cameron Camp, founder of the Center for Applied Research in Dementia. This concept is now widely practiced in school settings and has more recently been applied to memory care. “I began to look at how to train older adults to remember things. I had to find a way to enable persons with dementia to learn and remember new things and at exactly the same time, my children started at a Montessori school and the dots just connected immediately. This was the way forward,” says Dr. Camp. Montessori is an educational method based on rehabilitation techniques and sound human values that has translated to great success for those with memory loss, regardless of where they are on their dementia journey. “The Montessori approach emphasizes learning by doing and this is what happens in persons with dementia. They learn through practice, but they also have all this experience, decades of life to draw upon. There's this wealth of potential in these persons if we care to look for it,” says Dr. Camp. Montessori Inspired Lifestyle is based on values of respect, dignity and equality. Its key principles are rooted in giving people choices, giving them the opportunity to use their strengths instead of their weaknesses, recognizing the individual for who they are and enabling them to be the best person they can be. “I believe in it totally, because I've seen it work. I've talked to family members who say things like, ‘I did not know that they \[referring to a loved one\] could still do these things’,” says Dr. Camp. # Why Does Montessori Work For Memory Care? The Montessori Inspired Lifestyle and approach in care works because it meets each person where they are and invites them to take part. Residents taking part in a [Montessori-based reading activity](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39102610/) show more conversation, more engagement and more positive mood than during a traditional storytelling activity. Team members also find their work more meaningful when they can connect with residents as individuals. [Person-centered approaches](https://sigmapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/wvn.12746) create an environment where everyone thrives. [![TGG\_BLOG\_NewCTAStyle\_640x136\_5.8.24\_3\_MemoryCare (1)](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2284858/interactive-170097068841.png)](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLBugCNRZ5QwXHMtJI7EUpoc0sqmuuW2XqGAPW%2FAwBZrqQ623Gltl5c1wpEv0pbmSLsK6upn18p%2BtJdx%2FWUUvAmRpdmlPZhDPT7RB6AvYj3eq%2Fg6Vvv9BBwzzWUaxEN7T50HlXJrWaUDNK5C1Ag7R2o%2FWRogW0%2FAkylW%2FKrxLebFC38KYKMHYY9ZetIDt16oGCAjEukvvS8yeUun91KCJXrr6Z1GCbrFvjamhEX2HM8Lh%2B4&webInteractiveContentId=170097068841&portalId=2284858) # How Does Montessori Redefine The Role of a Caregiver? Montessori shifts the [caregiver's role](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/supporting-senior-loved-ones-a-caregivers-guide-to-encouraging-self-care-in-aging) from doing things for residents to supporting and empowering them to participate in meaningful activities and daily life to the fullest extent possible. “Maria Montessori had a phrase. She said, when the environment supports the person and enables them to use their abilities and diminish their disabilities, a process comes into the world. And she called it ‘normalization.’ It is our duty to create normalizing environments for persons with dementia,” shares Dr. Camp. Montessori Inspired Lifestyle allows memory care residents to focus on their individual strengths. It improves their overall quality of life by giving control back to the individual whenever possible. “You want to do everything for them because you are a caregiver, but ultimately, it's better for them to take those first steps and to take a chance. It is here when you can see their potential,” says Allie S., life enrichment coordinator in the[Pearls of Life®](https://thegoodmangroup.com/how-we-innovate/) memory care neighborhoods at [The Residence at Timber Pines, a community managed by The Goodman Group.](https://residenceattimberpines.com/) Montessori Inspired Lifestyle is a way of living that carries through every part of the day, from scheduled community activities to the quiet moments in between. Every team member is trained to encourage and empower residents throughout the day to make choices so that they feel connected to their community. Whether it’s offering real-time meal choices, inviting residents to care for the community garden or welcoming their help as team members tidy up after a group activity, giving memory care residents the opportunity to take part in their community gives them a greater sense of purpose. “It's about everyone being in a relationship. And so the truth of the matter is, people in housekeeping, for example, may know many things about residents that other team members don't know. It provides incredibly useful information that may only come from that source, but also validates the worth of that staff member and their work and their department,” explains Dr. Camp. # What is the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle Pledge? Team members working in the Pearls of Life memory care neighborhoods take the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle pledge at the end of their training. - I will work to create a place where I would want to live - I will remember that I am a guest in the home of my residents - I will treat everyone I meet with respect, dignity, and equality - I will remember that I must earn the trust of others, and that they must learn to trust me - I will apply the Montessori principles in everything that I do - I will treat everyone I meet the way I wish to be treated “Everyone wants to live like this. This is not about dementia care. This is about a way of living for human beings. That's a good life,” shares Dr. Camp. “It is my hope that at some point in the future this will become the standard for memory care. Because it has to be.” Team members from The Residence at Timber Pines have seen how the Pearls of Life memory care neighborhoods have flourished since adopting Montessori Inspired Lifestyle. When visiting the neighborhood, Dr. Camp agrees and shares that the lifestyle is, “about living well. And that is an amazing gift to be able to give. It just blows me away when I see it.” [Several of The Goodman Group’s managed communities](https://info.thegoodmangroup.com/guide-to-senior-living-options) that offer Pearls of Life neighborhoods have been recognized as[Montessori Inspired Lifestyle](https://www.cen4ard.com/mil-credentialed-communities/) Credentialed Communities. Achieving this credential demonstrates that the community has established outstanding efforts to improve the quality of life for memory care residents through the values and principles embodied in the Montessori Inspired Lifestyle approach of care. When families visit these neighborhoods, they can witness something remarkable. Residents share their talents, make their own choices and find new ways to contribute to the community around them. This is the transformative power of Montessori Inspired Lifestyle, a shift in how we honor the humanity of every person living with dementia. Topics: [Senior Living](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/topic/senior-living), [Memory Care](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com/topic/memory-care) --- [Blog Home](https://blog.thegoodmangroup.com) ### Stay in the Loop on the latest stories and information by subscribing to our resource blog ### Key Takeaways - The Montessori Inspired Lifestyle® is a person-centered approach to memory care that focuses on each resident's strengths, choices and sense of purpose. - Built on respect, dignity and equality, it shapes the whole day, from mealtime choices to helping in the community garden. - Residents engage more and team members connect with them as family. 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