Are you a sports fan? Even if you’re not, you probably know someone who is. And, they have probably made it well known what their favorite teams are. That’s because the process of rooting for the “home team” is deeply ingrained in most of our lives, often having started in early childhood.
But what happens to these memories when a loved one struggles with dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease? We know that they can forget something that happened only moments ago. Yet, studies show that some long term memories often remain intact, especially those that stirred emotions in one’s earlier years.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that, for the residents of Chelsea Place Memory Care in Aurora, Colorado, nothing, even dementia, gets in the way of cheering on their Broncos football team each week.
The Denver Channel wrote an article about these enthusiastic Broncos fans recently and spoke with some of the residents as well as Jenni Dill, Life Engagement Director for Chelsea Place. “Their long-term memory is intact,” Jenni explained. “They may not remember what they’re eating for dinner right now, but they sure as heck remember that they’re deep down Broncos fans and that never changes.”
As resident, Fred Hall put it, “The football has put me back in the ‘rah rah rah’ stage.”
These amazing moments of recognition are precious for residents as well as family and friends. That is why Anthem Memory Care caregivers take the time to develop a deep understanding of each individual’s life story as well as their memory and cognition levels. They know that, while their capabilities will change over time, there may that one social situation that might spark some of those precious memories.
Photo taken from video courtesy of The Denver Channel.