Football replay used to fight dementia

LONDON - Football can help stimulate the recollections of dementia sufferers, a project has found.

In a study, researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University found that showing football memorabilia to men with the condition stimulated their memories in a ‘remarkable’ way.

The study used match photographs and programmes as the basis for discussions. And the results showed that the men responded well to the memorabilia and were able to chat to others about their memories of players and games.

The British university said that interest in the pilot initiative has already been expressed in Canada, where researchers are considering using ice hockey as the basis for a similar study.

“This was a fascinating study that revealed impressive results,” the Scotsman quoted Professor Debbie Tolson, director of the university’s Scottish Centre for Evidence Based Care of Older People, as saying.

“The men’s lifelong interest in football connected them to their former selves and shared memories. There is very little provided specifically for men with dementia and this is a welcome and positive innovation.

“We have had a tremendous response to this research, with Canada considering adopting the same principle with ice hockey. At the moment, I am gathering together a group of researchers to mount a proposal to roll out the concept to other European countries,” Tolson added. (ANI)