The recent Movie Moments at the Vogue entertained participants with clips from classic movies. Even more importantly, the event reduced stigma as it increased awareness about dementia and illustrated what dementia inclusivity means.
Individuals with dementia, along with their caregivers and the wider community, were invited on May 23 to Movie Moments at the historic Vogue Theatre near AlmaVia of San Francisco. The event, co-sponsored by Elder Care Alliance, was designed to lessen the burdens associated with dementia — if only temporarily — as attendees laughed, discussed and shared their memories spurred by classic films.
With tubs of popcorn in hand and guided by volunteers dressed as cinema ushers — complete with red sashes — Movie Moments participants enjoyed eight scenes from eight different movies. Each scene ran approximately five minutes.
At the conclusion of each scene, moderators Sean Caulfield and Rachel Main took to the stage to encourage discussion among audience members, touching on universally understood themes like romance, friendship, family and careers. After approximately five minutes of discussion, moderators introduced the next scene.
In the scene introductions, moderators provided audience members with hints of what they were about to view. For example, one moderator noted that an upcoming scene was from “Fiddler on…” and allowed audience members to fill in the missing words and then enjoy the scene from “Fiddler on the Roof.”
How Can Classic Movies Ease the Strain of Dementia?
While the event was entertaining for the entire multi-generational crowd, Movie Moments at the Vogue was designed to provide an outlet for creativity for individuals with memory loss and their caregivers.
In previous presentations, event organizers discovered that many people with dementia respond in a positive manner to certain film scenes. The well-known film clips used in the event encouraged participants to share their long-term memories.
In addition to providing a creative outlet, Movie Moments at the Vogue was also designed to demonstrate to family members, caregivers and others how individuals with dementia can continue to share feelings and participate in meaningful conversations.
A Beneficial Partnership
Elder Care Alliance partnered with the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and Northern Nevada and the Ray Dolby Brain Health Center of California Pacific Medical Foundation to present Movie Moments at the Vogue.
If you’re interested in presenting the program for your organization, please contact Sean Caulfield of Elder Care Alliance at scaulfield@eldercarealliance.org.
