A trip down memory lane with St Johnstone FC and Balhousie Care

Balhousie Care Group residents have been getting their football fix thanks to the charitable arm of the Perth Premiership football club, St Johnstone FC.

Saints in the Community runs weekly Football Memories sessions, which are aimed at older adults – including those living with dementia.

At the sessions, which usually take place at the Saints’ McDiarmid Park stadium in Perth, visitors enjoy looking at and chatting about photos of footballers from days gone by, sharing their memories and simply enjoying each other’s company.

Numerous studies have shown reminiscence activities can evoke powerful memories, stimulate mental activity and improve a person’s general wellbeing. The practice has also been shown to help with mental health conditions such as depression, which is common amongst those with dementia.

Balhousie North Inch Activities Coordinator, Mima Hird, arranged for residents to enjoy the sessions, which are open to all, and they have become regulars at the home of St Johnstone.

Mima said: “Our residents love their visits to Football Memories and look forward to the sessions every week. Not only do the outings give them the opportunity to share memories and stories, they have a profoundly positive and visible impact on their wellbeing.

“Our residents mean the world to us, and we make it our mission to provide them with person-centred, individually-tailored activities each and every day.”

David Wilson-Wynne, Specialist Dementia Lead at Balhousie Care Group, said: “Reminiscence forms part of something that’s crucial to us all: our identity. It sparks meaningful points within someone’s life that can trigger personal and emotion-driven memories. They can provide outcomes better than any form of medication.

“We all have special points in our life that have made us who we are, whether that be the birth of a child, getting their dream job, getting married or perhaps supporting our local football team. As we get older, or for people who are living with dementia, these life events are particularly important and reminiscence sessions are vital to help make these connections to who we are.

“Football holds particular memories of key players, the excited feeling of what it’s like to be at a match. It could be the memory of friends congregating together to attend a match as a weekly event.

“Within Balhousie Care Group we will always see our residents as unique people. We don’t diagnostically label or assume someone can’t do things because they have dementia. It’s about us being able to prompt particular events within their lives and creating meaningful opportunities from the offset.”

Euan McLeod, Community Projects Development Manager at Saints in the Community, said: “Our Football Memories sessions are open to anyone, but predominantly older people, who would benefit from an increase in social interaction. In particular they are aimed at those recovering from long-term health conditions such as strokes, or those who are living with dementia, which includes our regulars from Balhousie North Inch.

“We’ve found it helps in so many ways, not just the people who attend the sessions, but we also know it has a big impact on their family members.

“For the participants themselves it has the direct impact of improving their mental health. We have seen a significant change in those visiting from Balhousie North Inch – it has really helped them come out of their shells.

“We find people can be a bit stand-offish when they arrive for their first session, but by the time they leave they can’t wait to come back. There can be pre-conceived ideas that it’s a club, or that they have to be a St Johnstone fan, but that’s not the case. Our activity is a discussion about football in general, designed to aid social interaction.

“One of the best bits of feedback we had came from a family member who said, ‘I love bringing my husband here because on the drive back home after the session, for that half hour, I’ve got my husband back’. That’s a little snapshot of the impact it has on the people who come to the sessions.”

For more information on Football Memories, contact Saints in the Community on admin@saintsinthecommunity.co.uk or call 01738 459 095.