Don’t Bother Trying, They Won’t Do It! Effect of Responsive Behaviors on the Montessori Assessment System

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives The Montessori Assessment System (MAS) is an assessment tool that aims at assessing preserved abilities in persons with moderate to severe dementia and to serve as basis for person-centered interventions. As responsive behaviors are highly frequent in this population, we assessed their possible influence on the MAS administration and results. Methods 193 persons with a diagnosis of dementia in the moderate to severe stages living in nursing homes completed the MAS. Responsive behaviors were assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Results The NPI scores were heterogeneous, but responsive behaviors were present for at least 5 NPI domains in more than 50% of the participants. While NPI scores had weak relationships with MAS completion time and total score, primarily for the hallucinations, euphoria, and aberrant motor behaviors domains, a large majority of the participants fully completed the MAS. Conclusions The presence of responsive behaviors as assessed by the NPI does not limit MAS administration, despite minor influence on MAS score and completion time. Clinical implications The MAS may be applied to persons with moderate to severe dementia presenting responsive behaviors. Assessment of preserved abilities can greatly improve the design of person-centered care plans in this population.