Abstract

Activities are an essential element in institutionalized settings for persons with dementia. Challenges are faced, however, when developing and implementing stimulating and meaningful activities for this population. Over the past two decades, Montessori-based activities (MBAs) have been investigated as a means for meeting the needs of persons with dementia residing in long-term care facilities. MBAs were developed to enhance the quality of life for individuals experiencing dementia through maximization of engaging and meaningful activities. The purpose of the current study was to expand on the empirical literature related to the use of MBAs for persons with dementia by replication of a previous study conducted by Hindt and colleagues (2018). The current study compared behavioral observations of engagement and affect of six participants during an MBA (Memory Bingo), and regularly offered activities within a long-term care facility. The MBA appeared to produce greater positive affect, active and passive engagement, as well as fewer indications of non-engagement than the regularly offered activities. This study provided a means for defining and identifying empirically supported activities for persons with dementia and infers that the MBA may serve as a promising alternative to other regularly offered activities that may not produce as many positive forms of behavior.

Advisor

Jeffrey Buchanan

Committee Member

Hsinhuei Sheen Chiou

Committee Member

Angelica Aguirre

Date of Degree

2021

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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In Copyright