Kilmarnock FC To Help Dementia Sufferers
Football Memories is a programme to help people with dementia by using football images and memorabilia to provoke discussions about past experiences. With over 90,000 people in Scotland having a diagnosis of dementia, demand for the project is huge, as it seeks to harness the passion for the game felt by so many in the country. The programme will be held monthly at Rugby Park and is helping people with dementia by reviving memories of players, matches, goals and incidents from football matches in their younger years. To date over ninety Football Memories groups have been established across Scotland, where people with dementia and other memory problems gather to enjoy looking back at old photos and memorabilia. Their recall of matches and incidents is spectacular giving details of scores, scorers and even moves leading to goals and the humour is incredible. Kilmarnock Football Club’s Community Engagement Manager, Paul DiGiacomo spoke to us about the programme. “Kilmarnock Football Club are delighted to assist in running this fantastic programme in partnership with Alzheimer’s Scotland and the Scottish FA. The programme allows the Club to engage with people with Alzheimer’s and it is wonderful hearing the discussions about matches that took place many years ago. We hope that the attendees would bring their families and friends along to Rugby Park to share their memories with them.” Jim Baird, Community Activity Organiser said “Alzheimer Scotland are delighted with the Football Memories project that Kilmarnock Football Club have adopted – it is an initiative that has the backing of the SFA and involves past and current players and the wider local community. Those people with dementia that have been attending have had a chance to relive old games, compare notes on their favourite players, and hear first-hand from the likes of Davie Sneddon about what it was like to play the beautiful game. It is now a fixture in our calendar, ably supported by Paul DiGiacomo and his team of volunteers.”
The Football Memories project will run the first Monday of every month at Rugby Park. If you know of anyone who you think would benefit from this programme or would like more information please email pauldigiacomo@kilmarnockfc.co.uk.