Adult Day Care Helps Alzheimer’s Patients by Taking Them Back in Time

A real-life time capsule in California is bringing visitors back to when a 1959 Ford Thunderbird was brand new as a ‘50s-style diner has a jukebox playing classic rock and roll records.

At Glenner Town Square in Chula Vista, a first-of-its-kind adult day care that practices reminiscence therapy, the journey into the past helps Alzheimer’s patients like Jackie Dwyer stay active and alert by surrounding herself with familiar memories of a bygone era.

Inside are free-standing phone booths with rotary dials, classic decor and old school shops, all to invoke a patient's childhood memories. 

Dwyer's daughter, Kimberly, says her 76-year-old mom has always loved singing, dancing and music and visiting Glenner Town Square several times a week helps jog her mom's memory.

“When it comes to reminiscence therapy there is a spark and what that spark does is open up kind of a dialogue and open up a discussion where people can engage with where their strongest memories are,” Scott Tarde, Glenner Town Square's CEO, told Inside Edition.

Kimberly already sees the positive affect on her mom as she walks down memory lane .

“I see her bright smile and her bright eyes,” her daughter said. 

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