In April, members of the Adult Day Club at the Dementia Care and Education Campus dressed to the nines for a Roaring 20s-themed prom night event (submitted photo).
Prom is for high school kids, right? Well, try explaining that to the Dementia Care and Education Campus in Phoenix. The campus held a spectacular prom for its Adult Day Club members and Assisted Living residents on April 15.
Adult Day Club manager Sara Meins says it was a huge hit for members, their spouses and families.
“We created a Roaring 20s theme and there were feather centerpieces, old-fashioned suitcases full of boutonnieres and corsages, a balloon canopy, feather headbands for the ladies and bowler hats for the men.”
Just like a traditional prom, many of these seniors were dressed to the nines. Sparkly gowns, elegant ties, evening handbags and jewelry were all donated by the White Dove Thrift Shoppes. The campus also took professional photos and set up a dance floor with upbeat music to get this crowd moving.
“Dancing and music are good health habits for people living with dementia,” Meins said. “We dance every day at the Adult Day Club and some of the members dance better than I do! Sometimes, the music comes from a professional like a steel drum performer or an Elvis impersonator. Other times, it’s provided by our campus music therapist. Or we just put on a playlist, but we are always dancing. Dancing feels good, it helps maintain balance and coordination and it gets the heart going.”
Adult Day Club members have mild to moderate dementia, but Meins explains that music is therapeutic for every stage and type of dementia.
“It stimulates our brains. Songs can help us recall a memory that sparks emotion and lights up our eyes. Sometimes, we can’t remember what might have happened five minutes ago, but we can remember every lyric to a certain song and we can relive those happy moments.”
The Dementia Care and Education Campus is an innovation of nonprofit Hospice of the Valley and was designed to help people live well with dementia. Meins says parties like this show that even with a dementia diagnosis, there is so much life to live.
The Phoenix campus is the first of its kind in the country and offers many programs at no cost. Public tours of are offered every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. To learn more about workshops, support groups and facilities visit https://dementiacampus.org or call 602-767-8300.
