Business & Tech

Montessori-Based Dementia Daycare Center Opens in Grayson

Affinity Adult Day Care is one of the first facilities to open in Georgia offering the Montessori-based dementia program.

For Stephanie Smith, CEO and founder of Affinity Adult Day Care in Grayson, using the building from her Montessori School for young children to offer care to seniors was a natural progression.

“I’ve always had an affinity with seniors in the community, so when my four children moved on from the Montessori school, it just seemed that this was the right thing to do,” Smith said.

Although Affinity Adult Day Care is already open, Smith said it will take a while before it will have daily residents attending the facility.

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“There is a specific evaluation process that has to be done to see exactly where the senior is in the dementia progress,” she said. “That way we know what care is required.”

The center will be open for daily residents from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and Smith said there will be activities to keep the residents occupied as well as provide therapy to help them maintain life skills. According to the website, the Montessori-Based Dementia Programming (MBDP) was developed by educator Maria Montessori and researched for more than 14 years by Cameron J. Camp, Ph.D. and his colleagues.

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The website reports that MBDP Programming is a rehabilitative approach to the treatment of dementia. The exercises are aimed at much more than just keeping the residents occupied. They are designed to improve residents' cogitation and fine-motor skills. An example given is that activities provide help enhance the skills for performing basic tasks such as self-feeding, dressing and bathing. Being able to do these skills lead to increased independence and self-care and therefore greater self-The focus of Montessori-Based Dementia Programming® is to create an environment that provides respect and dignity to all persons, and to foster development of a true community for residents with dementia, their families, and the staff members who provide care for them.

Smith said when the economy tanked a few years ago, it was more beneficial for her to combine her Montessori preschool with one in Snellville. That left the building vacant in Grayson. There is also a house on the property and Smith is hoping that someone will buy it and turn it into a full-time senior home.

“That way they will be able to attend the day care here during the day and have the rest of the full time care in the home,” Smith said.

Affinity Adult Day Care is located at 420 Pine Grove Ave., Grayson.

According to officials, there is another senior care facility going in at the old Grayson Post Office building in very close proximity to Affinity Adult Day Care, but it is for residents who are more in need of nursing care.


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