Football and Alzheimer's: The Passion That Fights Against Forgetting

Luis does not remember the last Euro Cup won by Spain at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, but he does remember Paco Gento, a legendary player in the history of Real Madrid. At 91 years old, he enjoys football when his son sets up the computer for him to watch the merengues' matches, but soon forgets the goals he witnessed days before. He is one of the 700 seniors participating in the football-based reminiscence workshops organized by LaLiga and its Foundation together with the Spanish Federation of Veteran Footballers Associations (FEAFV). Football is part of the collective imagination of any person and can reach surprising areas. Moreover, it can be a strong tool for Alzheimer's patients.

It does not have the power to end this degenerative dementia, but it can help stimulate memories and emotions. "What is linked to emotions is easier to remember. We awaken those memories associated with childhood, youth, and maturity that we think are dormant through football, with images, commemorative objects, and videos from their time. Through this, many tell you what they used to do, and also at the end of each of the 12 sessions, which last approximately two hours, each person fills out a personal book where they place photos from when they were young, their personal data, their hobbies or their friends," explains Rocío Catalán, sociocultural animator at the Ballesol Príncipe de Vergara senior residence in Madrid, one of the 40 centers carrying out this beautiful project.

Helping to slow cognitive decline, brain damage, or mental health problems are the main objectives but not the only ones. Unwanted loneliness, estimated to affect nearly three million seniors in Spain, is another. "We revolve around football but it is like an excuse for other types of situations to appear throughout their lives. This takes us back to the 50s, 60s or 70s, for example, so they try to remember what they did back then. Some can recite line-ups all at once," points out Míchel Carrilero, former Rayo Vallecano forward and FEAFV facilitator, who delves into how many workshops have more women than men. He does so at Vallecas Stadium, in one of the outdoor activities carried out by Ballesol residents in a project that started almost a decade ago and involves historic clubs such as Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Las Palmas, Valencia, Valladolid, Zaragoza or Sporting de Gijón among others.

The green field at Avenida de la Albufera helps fight against forgetting even if some do not like football much. This is the case of Carmen, who prefers bullfighting to "kicking a ball," but still enjoys being there with other residents singing Rayo's anthem in Vallecas' locker room where María del Pilar remembers Teresa Rivero, wife of the controversial Ruiz Mateos and first female president of a club in La Liga. It is also where Nayda, who became a pediatrician in Havana, learned "a lot about this club's history that she previously did not know."

"Social skills are developed among them; it fosters sociability and interaction and improves their quality of life. It is a human and emotional program," admits Olga de la Fuente, director of LaLiga Foundation. She agrees with Juan Mari Zorriqueta, president of FEAFV that one of the goals of this non-pharmacological therapy - imported from Scotland - "is to create and socialize because they are losing communication."

"We work on orientation, memory - recent and episodic - attention or concentration. Besides sports we talk about childhood games, places of origin, what they have done during their lives or trips they have taken," says Aurora García occupational therapist who also explains that together with residents they review results from each league day and read different press clippings to stay updated on sports news during sessions where Manuel emphasizes being "very Atlético" and Jose proudly recalls at 84 years old Diego Armando Maradona's legendary goal in Mexico's 1986 World Cup or Marcelino's header that gave Spain its first Euro Cup in 1964. A goal and a small thread of hope for a disease that still has no cure affecting 1.2 million people in Spain according to data from Spanish Alzheimer's Confederation (CEAFA). A figure that could double over next 20 years while researchers focus on finding treatment.