MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — Harmony at Mt. Juliet is giving people who live in its memory care division a chance to relive cherished memories from their youth with a prom this Saturday.
Nancy Dinger, Patricia Snider, and Gail White are among the residents preparing for the event.
For them and others in memory care, newer memories may fade — but memories from decades past often remain vivid.
"I was fortunate enough to be elected sports royalty queen and I was a cheerleader," said Nancy Dinger, who lives in Harmony Square, the memory care area in Harmony at Mt. Juliet.
I asked her about what she remembers from her high school prom.
"I remember the emotion, the excitement of being a junior or senior, because in my high school, that's when you went," Dinger said.
Erica Stark, director of Harmony Square, said the emotional connection tied to long-ago memories is part of what makes an event like this meaningful for people living with memory loss.
"I feel like they have that emotional component to them, and emotional memory is really powerful for them," said Erica Stark, director of Harmony Square.
I also reached out to Dr. Brian Bradford, a psychiatrist with Tristar Centennial, to find out about why it’s so important to help folks with memory issues revisit those old memories.
“One of the ways that dementia works is that, it’s really good with long-term memory, and especially pre-dementia memory. Where we have trouble is making new memories, but we can remember the distant things,” said Dr. Bradford.
He said he sees those memories make a difference for folks, especially when it comes to music.
“We’ll have music therapy, we’ll have music or a track from their childhood and they will remember this, and it will bring joy to them even if they don’t remember the words or anything about it.”
A local boutique called Upon Occasion donated dresses and tuxedos for the prom, and Harmony Square is bringing in a special musical act for entertainment.
The event is only open to residents and their families.
The prom will feature tunes from residents' youth, giving them another chance to dance and relive the moments that have stayed with them.
Click here for more information about Harmony Square, at Harmony at Mt. Juliet.
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