Manipulatives provide self-accessed, purposeful activity to Residents who live with dementia.
Easily affixed to the wall in the care environment, Manipulatives are readily accessible to Residents on a 24/7 basis, requiring minimal demand on care-staff time.
Manipulatives are appropriately designed using Montessori principles and methods to build functional capacity. By tapping into past interests and providing familiar themes, Manipulatives utilize a Resident’s existing functioning to provide physical, cognitive, and social stimulation appropriate to the ability of the Resident. Manipulatives are meaningful and purposeful, self-correcting, have good contrast and logical progression. The graphic designs are familiar, aesthetically pleasing with intuitive prompting.
Manipulatives do not replace structured recreational programs but are meant to augment and enrich the care environment with self-accessed purposeful activity.
Manipulatives facilitate a state of ‘well-being’, help to manage responsive behaviour, and improve the quality of life of a Resident living with dementia.
Manipulative Activities
Enriching the care environment with self-accessed, purposeful activity.
The Importance of Priming
Depending on the remaining cognitive ability of the resident, residents may be challenged to initially self-engage with Ambient Activity. ‘Priming’ is the process of directing the resident to the activity, introducing, and going through the function of that activity. This may mean physically helping the resident with ‘hand over hand’ direction which will help stimulate ‘memory through movement’. Priming may be required several times until the resident is conditioned to initiate and engage with the activity on their own accord.
