Re-evaluating Montessori methods to address staffing challenges in Australian aged care

The Australian aged care workforce faces critical challenges in recruitment, staff retention and workplace well-being. This article explores the potential of integrating Montessori principles into community-based care. A 20-month cohort-controlled study compared participants from a respite service implementing a Montessori-based model of dementia care to ‘care as usual’. Linear mixed modelling assessed group differences in staff burnout, compassion satisfaction and workplace engagement. No significant between-group differences were observed in the rates of change in the variables over time. These findings underscore the need for robust assessment of implementation fidelity and continued evaluation of the capacity of organisation-level Montessori programmes to improve workforce outcomes.