11th February 2014

Dementia is a progressive disease which can cause a range of symptoms including memory loss, difficulty with planning, problem solving and communication.

Whist it is not an inevitable part of aging it is more prevalent as people get older and as our life expectancy grows so too does the number of people with dementia. There are many different diseases that cause dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia.

The gradual decline in a person’s ability to remember things can be distressing and frustrating both for those suffering with dementia and those that love and care for them.

Following a recent  appeal from The Dementia Team at Yeovil District Hospital we are glad to be able to report that Yeovil Town Football Club are actively doing something to help.

With a major redesign underway of the Trauma Orthopaedic ward into a far more therapeutic environment for those with dementia, Consultant Nurse Janine Valentine has approached the club for their help.

Sport and particularly Football is incredibly important to many and often forms a significant part of a person’s life. This means it can be a wonderful thing to reflect back on and evoke memories. There are also many who have been lifelong football fans but due to declining health are unable to still attend football matches.

In an effort to stimulate memories and help with important reminiscence work the club will be providing archive material and photographs for their patients to view via the hospital’s new interactive IT screens which are soon to be available on a number of wards.

There will also be a rolling projection of these amazing images onto a large viewing area  in the newly redesigned ward.

With dementia often causing memory loss of more recent life events it is hoped that the material the club is providing will help the  patients within Yeovil Hospital to both enjoy and  relive the best moments in The Glovers history.

If you think you have any suitable archive material, please contact the media department at YTFC on media@ytfc.net.

For more information about dementia visit: alzheimers.org.uk or call the National Dementia helpline on 0300 222 1122.