The Museums Association (MA) are seeking case studies on dementia-related museum practice to be presented as evidence to a government-funded programme that aims to identify and support dementia-friendly communities.
The Dementia-Friendly Communities programme, which is being run by the Alzheimer’s Society, aims to identify 75 dementia-friendly communities across different sectors by 2015. The programme was established in response to the prime minister’s Dementia Challenge, an initiative launched in 2012 to improve dementia care, awareness and research.
The society has enlisted several sub-groups to identify good practice in different sectors, and the MA has joined the sub-group for dementia friendly arts, which held its first meeting last week.
The group has prioritised the following areas in which the arts sector is recognised as making a particular difference: navigation of environments; ensuring inclusive activities; empowerment and recognition of people with dementia; and services responding to the needs of people with dementia.
The arts group is seen as particularly important because arts activity targets the areas that people ‘stop doing’ when they receive a diagnosis of dementia, thereby helping to prevent social isolation.
Sharon Heal, the MA’s acting head of policy, said: “This programme fits in really well with the MA’s Museums Change Lives campaign to encourage museums to focus on the difference they can make to people and communities.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for museums and galleries to share some of the excellent work they’ve been doing to reach out to people with dementia, and to highlight this impact to politicians, key decision-makers and the public.”
If you have a case study you would like to submit…
Case studies should follow the template available at the link below and must be submitted by 10 October 2014. Please send case studies to alastair@museumsassociation.org.
Article taken from the Museums Association website.
Image: Dementia-Friendly Museums, Museums Association, 2014
