As our loved ones get older, it may be time to talk about senior living. Have you heard of the Montessori approach for senior living?
“With the Montessori approach, the goal is to provide an environment that promotes independence, offers choices, and allows the residences to be treated with respect and dignity at all times,” explained Michele White, the executive director of Fairmont Senior Living of Farmington Hills, which uses the Montessori approach.
White stressed the importance of offering activities that provide purpose and are meaningful to senior living residents. She said Fairmont looks at residents’ physical skills and focuses on what they can still do rather than their deficits. Then, they encourage residents to continue working on the things that you they can do.
“What you do for me, you take away from me” is a phrase that White used to explain this approach.
One of the biggest choices residents can make at Fairmont Senior Living is when it comes to what they eat. Fairmont has a food committee to get feedback on what residents would prefer to eat.
An example of some of dishes that are served at Fairmont include crab cakes with vegetable orzo and broccoli and chicken pita with roasted red peppers and green peppers.
Fairmont Senior Living has locations in Farmington Hills and Northville. Watch the video above for additional information about senior living.