Sporting Memories using the power of reminiscence to recall good times past and to reconnect people

Description

Sporting Memories is an awareness and support programme involving remembering and talking about sports to help improve health and wellbeing, especially of people living with Dementia.
This programme aims to tackle Dementia, depression, and loneliness through safe, friendly sessions, led by people with a passion for sport and a desire to help people with Dementia (PLWD) and their Family carers to stay engaged in their communities and find support therein.
Sporting Memories brings people together to reminisce about their lives through the medium of sport, using images, video, and other tools to spark memories and encourage social engagement.
Sport plays a big part in the lives of so many people. Whether a person played a sport in their youth or later life, was a member of a local club, or watched and listened to matches and games, sport creates a sense of identity and a set of memories that can last a lifetime. By using sporting cues, it is possible to stimulate memory, improve communication and social skills among members as well as creating a sense of belonging within a local community.
Reminiscence is very powerful for people living with dementia . Typically, a person with dementia is more able to recall things from many years ago than recent memories, so reminiscence draws on this strength. Reminiscence can give people with dementia a sense of competence and confidence through using a skill they still have. We all possess memories, we all have our own unique life history. Recalling the past is a means of owning it and hence preserving ourselves.
Many people with dementia find themselves routinely having things done ‘for’ them or ‘to’ them. When a person shares something about their past and another person shows interest or enjoyment, it is a wonderful opportunity for that person to feel that they are the one who is giving something to another human being, rather than always being the one who is receiving or listening.
There are 64,000 people with dementia in Ireland, and the number of people with the condition will double in the next 25 years to over 150,000 by 2045. There are 11,000 new cases of dementia in Ireland each year – that’s at least 30 people every day. 63% of people living with dementia live at home in the community. There is currently no cure. Dementia is not simply a health issue but a social issue that requires a community response and sporting memories is one such community response.
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland rolls out the Sporting Memories Programme by working in close collaboration with various agencies in each are – the local sporting bodies GAA etc, Local county Councils, HSE, Slainte Care, Sports Partnerships and essentially all local voluntary and statutory agencies that work with Older persons.
in February the 2nd very successful Wexford Sporting Memories event was held in Wexford. The ASI worked in collaboration with Wexford County Council, Slainte Care, The Health and Well Being Committee of Wexford GAA and Wexford Age Friendly Ambassador Tony Dempsey to plan and deliver a very well attended event. Over 70 people, including approximately 30 people who were living with Dementia attended.
Following on from the success of these wexford events others have been held in Donegal, Kerry, Cork and Dublin. The success of these event has also now resulted in the GAA nationwide adopting the programme which will now be rolled out nationwide.
With regards to wexford events are now being organised by local clubs and districts with one also being hosted in the Dementia Ward in the local community hospital.
This programme is very powerful in not only reconnecting people, but families realise that they are not alone in their dementia Journey and have found amazing supports in terms of people wanting to help with the care of their loved one – offering lifts to matchs, rebuilding friendships etc.

Aim of Initiative

This programme aims to tackle isolation, depression, and loneliness through safe, friendly sessions, led by people with a passion for sport and a desire to help people with Dementia and their Family Carer to stay engaged in their communities. The power of reminiscence cannot be underestimated for bringing back joy into the lives of people living with Dementia and indeed their family members as they relive the good times together.

Who is it aimed at

This programme is suitable for people of all ages however it is particularly powerful for people living with Dementia and their family members and Carers. These events have given families’ the opportunity to gain support in their community for the care of their loved one. There have been some wonderful family moments where the family carer realises they are no longer alone and that people want to help

3 Steps critical to success

1. The collaboration among various agencies is vital for the success of the programme and to ensure as many people as possible get the opportunity to participate and feel they are welcome to attend. We reach out to every agency connected to older people, to every community group and service provider across the county. It is vital to have key spokespeople for the event such as Tony Dempsey , Age Friendly Ambassador as this really gives power and credibility to the programme
2. Good communication to ensure getting the word out about the programme. It is vital to ensure all media both print and radio in the area spread the word of the event. Local notices, newsletters, church notice boards, social media pages etc were used. Invitations were also sent out through all relevant support agencies ASi, Alone, HSE, Carers etc
3. It is important to get the logistics correct. Post covid the venue size is still important to ensure people feel safe. Care is also taken when choosing venues to ensure good accessibility, lighting, ample provision of seating, display tables etc to allow ease of movement. Even the time of day is a consideration as some people living with Dementia get agitated in the evening time so that time is best avoided

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Initially it was difficult to get bye in form the relevant agencies however after the success of the event in Wexford the concept has now been proven and the various agencies are keen to be involved. Agencies now see how powerful these events are and are happy to be involved ensuring we reach an even bigger audience.
2. Communicating to the target audience. There is a huge reliance on social media to promote event now but as many of our target audience may not engage with social media it was imperative to promote the event through suitable medium. An interview was done with local radio and a podcast of the details of the events was developed which went out right at news time morning midday and evening. The event was also promoted on local papers and each club in the county undertook to contact older people in their own communities about the event and indeed in some provide transport for them
3. Even though we are now a couple of years Post covid some people are still nervous about being out in crowds and in public spaces. However by making people aware that we had selected large well ventilated venues we went some way to combat these fears. The fact that the group adapted the programme to bring it to the likes of the Dementia Ward in the local Community Hospital is a true testament to how invested they are in the programme and how they can see that it truly is a very powerful and impactful programme

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. People , who had not recently engaged in the GAA world or with the people they previously knew in that world, have now reconnected and in some case have re-established those friendship to the point where they now regularly meet. Hence this programme has helped combat loneliness and isolation. There were examples of people having lost connections for over 40 years and they are now enjoying regular meetups
2. Reminiscence is vitally important for people living with Dementia. With this event people were given the opportunity to see a significant amount of memorabilia, photos, press cuttings , match programmes, years and medals all of which are very powerful in stimulating memories. They were also given the opportunity to meet old friends and indeed heroes from the years gone by and were encouraged to chat and share stories bringing back some wonderful memories.
   One example was where a young gentleman brought along his Dad who is living with Dementia. The Dad hasn’t spoken or laughed in a couple of years yet while he was looking at one of the albums he spotted an old picture of himself from many years ago and started to laugh out loud reducing the son to tears but they were tears of joy – he never thought he would hear his dads laugh again
3. These events also have a huge impact on the lives of Carers as not only do they give ther loved ones such joy but they are a huge opportunity for them as carers to receive additional support – both professionally and from the community. Information on local support services is a vital component. In some cases people are not lucky enough to be signposted to these supports and services when they receive their diagnosis so it is important that we add this component to these events . A number of people have been linked to services in this way. One gentleman 2 years post diagnosis was not aware of the extensive services available but has now happily been linked into many of them because he attended a sporting memories event. There was another case where a young mum of 3 small kids was trying to also look after her Dad but was really struggling to manage to bring him to matches which he loved. At the first Wexford event she met a neighbour who gladly volunteered to bring her Dad to the matches for her – delighting the father as he was now able to go to the matches again and the Daughter now has a couple of hours each weekend to do things with her children and not having to feel guilty about juggling her Dads needs and that of her children