DEMENTIA sufferers have been given fresh hope in the battle against the illness through a pioneering scheme that uses rugby to rekindle long-lost memories.
Rugby Memories uses decades-old photographs, newspaper cuttings, and memorabilia to trigger recollections from the past in former players and fans affected by the condition.
Trials are being piloted by Alzheimer Scotland and have had remarkable success, with care-home patients showing improved communication, social behaviour and memory function.
Crucially, they were able not only to discuss matches from the distant past in great detail but recall the relevant periods in their own lives, often for the first time in years.
The project will be launched in Glasgow and Edinburgh in the autumn, with plans for it to be rolled out nationwide in care homes, community groups and rugby clubs.
Michael White, Alzheimer Scotland's project manager, said his team had witnessed "powerful" results from trials in Glasgow, North Berwick, and Stonehaven.
He said: "You really have to see this in action to believe it. We've seen people who, literally, haven't spoken since entering care open up and chat away with confidence.
"In one or two instances we have actually seen a physical change. The men lift their heads, they are upright, their whole body shape and demeanour changes, and they are back to the old person that friends and family used to know. It's powerful stuff."
An 86,000 people in Scotland suffer from dementia, 3000 of whom are under 65.
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