Syracuse, NY (November 21, 2024) – Loretto’s Memory Special Care Unit, located on the 12th floor of Loretto Health & Rehabilitation, has earned a Gold-level credential from the Center for Applied Research in Dementia (CARD) for its Montessori-based approach to dementia and Alzheimer’s care.
Loretto is now one of only 29 facilities in the United States and 31 worldwide to offer a gold-level Montessori-inspired Lifestyle Community, and it is the only one to offer this care in Upstate New York. Montessori communities provide specialized, individualized care based on the residents’ abilities, strengths, and expressed interests.
The Montessori Inspired Lifestyle (MIL)was created by the Center for Applied Research in Dementia (CARD) after one of its founders, Dr. Cameron Camp, adapted Dr. Maria Montessori’s principles for older adults with dementia.
Guided by CARD, Loretto staff learned how to implement a Montessori approach to care that focuses on residents’ abilities, strengths, and autonomy while creating a safe, stimulating environment for each individual to live in based on their needs. Staff were trained to empower residents with memory impairment to be as independent as possible by tapping into each resident’s remaining strengths, designing environments in which they can thrive, and helping them find purposeful activities and meaningful roles within their community.
“The Montessori approach to memory care is about allowing the person to live with purpose and wholeness and have some control over their environment and life,” says Dr. Joelle Margrey, Chief of Nursing at Loretto. “Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are progressive, debilitating diseases, and to help them, we want to enhance residents’ quality of life as much as we can while they live in our facilities. We believe this Montessori approach helps to do that.”
To earn the gold-level credential, the Memory Special Care Unit staff completed Montessori training, successfully completed testing and evaluations, and worked collaboratively with the CARD team and their partner, Monarch Pathways, to ensure they met credentialing milestones.
Alex Maliwacki, a partner and consultant from Monarch Pathways, worked with the Loretto team to achieve the gold credential. “This milestone reflects the dedication and hard work Loretto has invested in creating a nurturing and enriching environment for residents. Loretto’s commitment to providing innovative, person-centered care is truly commendable.”
Gold-level organizations have resident-led committees, multidisciplinary Learning Circles, effective signage and environmental cues, a system for residents to volunteer for purposeful community service
activities, and at least one innovative achievement in applying Montessori principles. For the 12th floor, that achievement was a resident-led initiative to raise money to buy holiday gifts for other residents. Residents organized and managed both a bottle and can drive and a bake sale, ultimately exceeding their fundraising goal.
For more information about the Memory Special Care Unit at Loretto Health & Rehabilitation, visit MSCU | Loretto
About Loretto
Loretto is a leader in comprehensive healthcare services in Central New York. As the fourth largest healthcare provider in the region, 2,400 exceptional people at Loretto’s 19 programs and facilities deliver extraordinary care to more than 10,000 people of all ages, income levels, and care needs in Onondaga and Cayuga counties each year. From short-term rehabilitation and community-based programs to the home-like settings in its assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities, Loretto is actively investing in its employees, in medical research, and in new technologies to improve care in our community, making every day, extraordinary. Loretto: Exceptional People. Extraordinary Care.