Could vintage packaging help people with Alzheimer's?

by Sarah Griffiths for Daily Mail:Most people have fond memories of eating chocolate when they were children.And now confectionery giant Nestle has created ‘reminiscence packs’ to help trigger happy memories for dementia sufferers.The company has given care groups access to an archive of vintage wrappers and packaging after they said they were convinced that seeing the images from a bygone era might help revive positive recollections from patients' long-term memories.The pack was produced with advice from the Alzheimer's Society, which is testing it with two support groups running activities for dementia sufferers and their carers.Familiar images from decades past are featured including products which no longer exist like the ‘chocolate pie,’ which contained aerated milk chocolate and caramel.There are also images of tin labels, posters, photographs, chocolate boxes and one of the earliest examples of a Fruit Gums box.‘Even something as simple as an old sweet wrapper can bring back vivid memories from a happy time,' said Alzheimer's Society spokeswoman Alison Cook.‘This activity helps carers and loved ones to engage with people with dementia in a positive way and has the potential to improve the quality of life for the 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK.’Nestle spokesman James Maxton said: ‘We are keen to share the contents of the archive with as wide an audience as possible and we are delighted to use some of our favourite artefacts to produce this.’Source: http://dailym.ai/1enhiey