Deana FisherMarch was Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and a perfect time for St. Louis Center to host a Special Needs Seminar entitled “Helpful Tools for those Caring for Someone with Dementia.” This was a “virtual” seminar held on Wednesday March 24, 2021 and was open to the general public to help those coping with a loved one dealing with dementia in their lives. At the time of the seminar, 48 people had registered to participate.

SLC’s Chief Operations Officer Deana Fisher discussed the Montessori Inspired Lifestyles© that have been taught by Dr. Cameron Camp at St. Louis Center since 2019. Dr. Camp manages the Center for Applied Research in Dementia in Cleveland, Ohio, and this method harnesses the Montessori concepts that are typically used with preschool children that include hands-on interaction, self-guided discovery and independence.

This seminar was targeted to care givers and first responders to develop more tools in their toolkits for dealing with a person with dementia, whether developmentally disabled or not. The event was supported by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. The program may still be viewed on the SLC YouTube channel from the SLC Website at www.stlouiscenter.org.