About the Project
There is a small but growing body of activity around sporting reminiscence with older people including those with dementia http://www.sportingmemories.org/ (Clark et al. 2015). Reminiscence is used to help encourage people to remember events from their past, using triggers such as songs and photographs. People with dementia engage better with a stimulus that has some personal meaning for them (Solari and Solomons, 2011). In line with similar sport memory initiatives within and beyond the UK, the University of Worcester has been working with a local premier league football club and an NHS Trust to bring together groups of people diagnosed with dementia in a structured programme to provide stimulation and social engagement. Clinical outcome measures collected through routine practice at the Trust suggest improvements in cognitive functioning for those attending. In addition there has been a significant level of engagement and fun. They have been very successful particularly in attracting men to attend, often a hard group to engage in therapeutic activities, and there is a waiting list to attend. The groups have proved very popular with no attrition in attendance over the course of the group. Feedback from participants and family carers is positive.
There have been additional unexpected benefits to those attending and to the wider community. A feature of the programme has also been having guest ex-players. This has proved very popular with the people attending the group and the ex-players themselves – who are often of a similar age to participants. 18 months into the programme a decision was made to transfer the groups from NHS premises to the hospitality suite at the football ground. This has enhanced the experience of the group further by providing tours of the grounds, visiting the changing rooms and pitch as well as being able to see the extensive range of memorabilia that the club holds. Complimentary tickets are available for participants and their carers and support staff for a game during the programme and has given some participants confidence to re-start attending games following supported visits to break down barriers of travel, orientation and lack of familiarity. As a result a number of group members have started to attend matches independently.
It also appears to be helping to address some issues around stigma and community understanding of dementia. The young coaching staff at the club who have become involved with the programme now see this as an important part of their community out-reach. These staff, who would primarily engage with school students and younger people with physical disabilities and intellectual disability, are now embracing people living with dementia as members of their community who they can have a significant impact upon. Plans for 2017 include the offer of a follow-on monthly “Dementia Café” (social event) at the stadium for a larger number of people with dementia and family carers. This will be provided by the club itself with minimal input from the NHS Trust. There is also the possibility that those attending the social events could start to improve their physical fitness via low intensity movement activities such as ‘walking football’. At a time of increased criticism and scrutiny regarding the sustainability of the NHS and its support for civic initiatives, scholarly examination of local and national initiatives driven by community groups, organisation and/or individuals is timely and of value.
Football is an almost universal interest that brings people together (Carone et al, 2012). It is a national game where clubs have their own identities, sense of community and culture. It is intergenerational and aims to be inclusive with many initiatives challenging race, age, disability and gender. Football reminiscence has been shown to have promising positive benefits for men with dementia, such as increased sociability, confidence and communication beyond the sessions (Scholfield and Tolson, 2010; Tolson and Scholfield, 2012; Carone et al, 2014); Watchman et al, 2015), though there is a need to for more robust evidence. There are a number of initiatives across the UK, with a particular intensity of activity in Scotland as well as Merseyside, which indicate that a regional approach may maximise impact.
For further details and for an application form visit: http://www.worcester.ac.uk/researchstudentships
For an informal discussion about the studentship please contact Dr Simon Evans (email: [Email Address Removed])
For questions regarding the application process, please contact the Research School (email: [Email Address Removed] or tel: +44 1905 54 2182)
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