1. The Learning for Life Academy
C-MAP™--Cognitive Map Learning System An Educational Program for People with Dementia
Zeisel Art & Alzheimer's

2. What is the Learning for Life Academy?
An educational program for people with dementia
Tailored to accommodate individual skills & interests
In which the fact that members have challenges to their memories is largely irrelevant.

3. Learning for Life Basics
Confidence
-- from templates
Sense of Time
-- past & future
Self-determination
-- what I want to do
Relationships of trust
-- not hierarchy
Self Identity
-- a C-MAPPER
Ownership
-- this is mine
Hard-wired caring
-- for others
Procedural Learning
-- I remember

4. What is a Learning for Life Day Like?
The Group begins in the dining room around 9 AM. Participants put on name tags & decide with a template what breakfast snacks and drinks they would like to have.

7. Morning Discussions
The first thing The Group does is look through newspapers to find stories that are interesting & that can be shared for discussion.

10. Recent Self-Initiated Coffee Discussion Topics
The Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
The Divorce of Al and Tipper Gore (Is it really possible to have a “friendly” divorce?)
The Effects of the Recession on Unemployment
A 78-year-old man hits a Hole in One
What you would do if you were President
Fashion (Can anyone besides a model actually wear those clothes?)
Town Hall Meetings
Tension between North and South Korea

11. In the Learning for Life Classroom
The Group begins its learning sessions.

12. Learning Centers
Members of The Group distribute themselves at the prepared learning centers.
The Morning Set-up & learning centers are examples of
“The Prepared Environment” –itself a template.

13. Example of a Learning Center
Learning Digital Photography

14. Examples of Learning Stations: Card Making

15. The close-up photograph
The Subject

17. another Example of a Learning Center
Holiday Card Creation

19. & another Example of a Learning Center
Holiday Card Creation leads to: Painting self portraits

21. At the End of the Morning
Members share what they’ve done
Learn more about each other
Make plans for future activities.

22. At the End of the Morning
Mr. Wong teaches the group how to relax through breathing exercises

24. At the End of the Morning
When The Group found out that Mr. Wong had worked in his family’s restaurant, they asked about Chinese food

25. At the End of the Morning
Mr. Wong told The Group about “fried won-tons.” The Group asked Mr. Wong to teach them how to make fried won-tons

28. At the End of the Morning
The Group decided to make some fried won-tons to serve to non-student residents—everyone pitched in.

32. Templates guide wanton making
The leader creates the necessary templates the night before

39. Before The Group serves the wantons to others, they decided to try them out themselves.

42. Here’s how the voting went…

46. Though not unanimous, most of The Group gave a “thumbs up,” and so a batch was made and served to the others. (There were many thumbs up among those served.)

47. OTHER TOPICS THE GROUP DECIDED TO STUDY
Architecture
Comparative religion
Transportation
Metamorphosis
Motion pictures
The C-Mappers’ Motto: IT NEVER HURTS TO TRY SOMETHING NEW

48. How is Learning for Life different from conventional programs?
Persons with dementia cannot make choices
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Members make their own decisions

49. How is Learning for Life different from conventional programs?
Activities are selected by an Activity Director
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Members select what they want to learn about, and how they want to learn.

50. How is Learning for Life different from conventional programs?
People with dementia only live in the moment
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Work on projects over time, make plans, set and remember goals, remember the past

51. How is Learning for Life different from conventional programs?
People with dementia must be protected from the possibility of failure and not challenged
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Students are encouraged to challenge themselves, & do

52. Rehearsing

57. What is the Learning for Life Academy?
The Learning for Life Academy is an educational program tailored to accommodate individuals’ skills and interests

60. What are Learning for Life principles
Members take care of their environment

63. What are Learning for Life principles
Members take care of each other & of others outside of C-MAP

66. Speaking for themselves

67. Lianne at the start of her C-MAP experience

69. The End
Four Months Later

71. The fact that its members may have challenges to their memories is largely irrelevant.

72. John Zeisel www.TheHearth.org www.ArtistsForAlzheimers.org
Thank you
John Zeisel
Zeisel Art & Alzheimer's