Giving Compass' Take:

• Professor Michael Ego reports on a study he's conducting on how tapping into a shared passion for baseball can help dementia patients recover memories.

• Though Ego's is still in its infancy, similar efforts — including a program in Scotland that revolved around soccer — showed some success. Should organizations involved in elderly care consider initiatives that incorporate this form of socialization?

• Another promising therapy for people with dementia: going to the museum.

Sports reminiscence therapy falls under the umbrella of what are called “socialization programs,” in which persons with dementia gather in a group setting and participate in activities with their peers.

Most current socialization programs incorporate some form of creative expression — music, storytelling, theater, and dance — and past studies have demonstrated their effectiveness.

Because many with dementia have witnessed their usual outlets for self-expression gradually dissipate, these programs give them structured opportunities to tap into the brain’s creative network and socialize with caregivers, staff members, and peers. Art gallery viewings and drama productions were also found to be valuable activities: Those who participated were generally happier and more social.

However, because two-thirds of those who have dementia are female, many of these socialization programs have traditionally been geared towards women.

For this reason, sports reminiscence therapy is starting to gain traction as a type of socialization program that could work particularly well for men with dementia.

After some of his friends were diagnosed with dementia, soccer historian Michael White launched a program in Scotland called Football Memories in 2009. The program offers persons with dementia an opportunity to chat with other soccer fans in an informal and relaxed setting. Today, there are hundreds of volunteers and participants, in addition to offshoot programs that center on golf, rugby, cricket, and shinty.

The success of White’s program inspired a similar one across the Atlantic: baseball reminiscence therapy. The first launched in St. Louis in 2013; now, there are six across the country, including one implemented in early 2017 at the River House Adult Day Care Center in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where I’m currently conducting a study to assess its benefits.

Read the full article about helping people with dementia through baseball memories by Michael Ego at GOOD Sports.