At the end of 2020, eleven more Horizon Home Health Aides achieved certification in Montessori application. These aides work in the in-patient units of Horizon's Kathy and Lawlis hospices.

These aides completed a six-hour online course available through the International Council for Certified Dementia Practitioners (ICCDP). On completion of the course, they earned the credential of Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional (CMDCP).

The Montessori application is a new approach, presented by Dr. Cameron Camp, to the old initiative of having all nursing aides certified in the care of dementia patients.

Caring for a dementia patient is complicated. Caregivers often develop a deep-seated inclination to perform cares in entirety without encouraging the patient to participate. Maria Montessori (19th century Italian physician) recognized that troublesome behaviors manifest from ineffective environments in which the patient cannot find fulfilling tasks. Montessori’s powerful statement, “What you do for me, you take away from me” underpins this education module. 

Horizon aide Kathleen says she enjoyed taking the course because it "encouraged us as caregivers to focus on what the patient CAN do, rather than what they cannot do."

Hospice supervisor Shannon agrees, noting that staff "generally feel that the course offered a lot of good insight into what it is like to live with dementia, and how promoting success for our patients allows us to feel more successful as caregivers."

She added that many also recognize "the usefulness of the techniques being taught for general use with all types of patients."

See all photos of the aides and their certificates here.