Herbert Hainer: Reduce inhibitions in dealing with dementia

On the occasion of the official Dementia Awareness Week under the motto "Dementia - Together. Brave. Live." from 16 September onwards and the World Alzheimer's Day on 21 September, FC Bayern wants to raise awareness of this issue once again. The memory case 'Forever Number One', presented by FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer and honorary president Uli Hoeneß at the FC Bayern Museum last November, has been placed at the disposal of persons and institutions and is borrowable for free at erinnerungskoffer@fcbayern.com. The club will provide information material at the FC Bayern Museum and the club stores.

FC Bayern president Herbert Hainer said: "Our goal at FC Bayern is to make this disease more present in society, in particular to establish the topic of participation and reduce inhibitions in dealing with dementia. With our memory case 'Forever Number One', we want to help those affected and their relatives to relive emotions and memories through a journey through time with FC Bayern.“  

Honorary president Uli Hoeneß said: "This memory case is a wonderful example of how FC Bayern always does everything it can to ensure that nobody at FC Bayern has to feel excluded. The shared passion for FC Bayern can be a bridge to overcome boundaries and start a conversation. I hope we can do something good for those affected. If you can do something that has a positive effect, you have to try."

The memory case is "another example of the fact that nobody is forgotten at FC Bayern and that the club, together with the fans, breaks down barriers for the fans to enable participation," said disabled fans' representative Kim Krämer. "Inclusion is an issue for society as a whole and can only succeed if we tackle it together."

Together with experts, FC Bayern has developed the case with the aim to create shared moments of remembrance for those affected and their relatives. According to studies, it has been proven that dealing with original testimonies from the past helps to awaken emotions and bring joy to people with dementia. The suitcases were provided by Manuel Neuer and Joshua Kimmich. It comes with a greeting card, the text of which was recorded by Hoeneß, which will always be heard when the envelope is opened because even familiar voices can trigger something in dementia patients.

Two 'Forever Number One' cases are borrowable at the moment. They have been sent out to 16 different stations in Germany so far, covering a distance of more than 2,500 kilometres. In addition to persons who delved into FC Bayern's past with their relatives, institutions like retirement homes have requested it for shared journeys through time for the residents. The institutions also use the case for individual sessions.

The case can be sent out or picked up at the Säbener Straße and borrowed for two weeks. It comes with a paid return label to avoid costs for the users. Since August, it can be accompanied by a dementia helper for a deeper exchange and to answer questions and share memories. The current focus is on FC Bayern between the 1970s and 1980s, with newspaper clippings, team photos, tickets, kits, scarves, balls and autograph cards.

Memory cases are a tool for biography work with dementia patients. Alzheimer's disease was discovered in Munich in 1906, at a time when FC Bayern had just started playing in red trousers. In Germany, over 1.8 million people are affected by this disease, including over 270,000 in Bavaria - and the numbers are expected to double by 2050.

Watch episode 1 of the FC Bayern Women documentary 'More than 90 minutes - presented by Allianz':