An innovative program called "Heart's Desire" at an assisted living facility in Geneva, Illinois, helps people with Alzheimer's rekindle recollections of favorite activities from their past.

The program, designed to keep Alzheimer patients active and help them relive some of their memories, recently saw 90-year-old Kay Peters out for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

For Peters, who now has stage 3 Alzheimer's, the ride brought back memories of her youth when she drove trotters at such Chicago-area harness racing tracks as Maywood Park and Aurora Downs.

As her rather tame buggy ride ended, Peters grinned and said "Great. Really Great. It's been a long time since I have been in a buggy."

"We try to pick out people who have something interesting in their past because they have long-term memory, not short-term, and this is comforting to them," said Sharon Brazill of the Arden Courts assisted living facility.

Other sources: Chicago Media