This year, the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association (CTRA) and Therapeutic Recreation Ontario (TRO) are joining together to offer one combined conference. Donna Ray, the founder of Keeping Busy, has been selected to be a speaker at the conference. Her talk, with the rather academic title of "Program Development and Delivery Based on Montessori for Dementia", is all about learning to expand and enhance the participants' use of Montessori techniques in their everyday practice. Perhaps it would be better titled "There's more to Montessori than folding towels and sorting coins"!
After a short review of memory care Montessori methods and principles, participants in the session will learn how to apply the concepts in their everyday practice and learn to transform underutilized materials into effective interventions. They will learn how to transform large group programs to small group settings more suitable for dementia patients, and how to adapt them to meet the needs and abilities of their clients.
We've all seen the videos and read about Montessori having magical results. It's not magic, it's practical change, one step at a time.
The conference takes place June 1st to 3rd at the Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel, located in downtown Kitchener, Ontario. Donna's talk is on Friday, June 3rd from 8am to 9:30am (slot F4). We will also have our products on display in the exhibit hall on Thursday, June 2. The early bird deadline for registration is April 8. We look forward to seeing you there.
Donna Ray has been involved in dementia care for over 13 years in a variety of capacities. In 2012 she partnered with Gail Elliot, Gerontologist & Dementia Specialist to provide and teach the "DementiAbility Methods: The Montessori Way" workshops in the Atlantic Provinces. Through her company Keeping Busy Inc., Donna has created a wide range of dementia care products to make it easier for caregivers to engage people with dementia in meaningful activity, including jigsaw puzzles for people with dementia. She also provides consulting and training to assist organizations with implementation of dementia programs based on Montessori dementia care.