How to Visit a Museum with PwD

Museums are becoming places of entertainment and education, places to relax. Visitors are looking for new excitement, but also discoveries. Museum staff are designing new programmes that suit different groups of visitors in order to achieve a rich user experience.

Why is it useful?

Archives and museums can play an important role in supporting programmes aimed to stimulate memories and engagement of PwDs and their carers, providing sources for reminiscence-based as well as other psychosocial intervention methods. It is important to know how to organise a visit to the museum for PwD accompanied by a caregiver or family member.

Social aspect

Museums that showcase artwork have a great potential to positively affect PwD. They reduce stress, provide positive emotions, reduce loneliness and warm social relationships. The change of environment stimulates the senses, encourages interaction with other people, encourages movement and brings back memories. Being in a museum elicits better stress responses in PwD, improves cognitive function and reduces depressive symptoms. Regular museum visitors with dementia say they feel less socially isolated and find it easier to relate to other people with similar interests.

Activities:

1. Organising a visit to the Museum - What we need to know before coming to the Museum.

1. Organising a visit to the Museum - What we need to know before coming to the Museum.

What will we gain?

We will get a good insight into how to find cultural institutions in our vicinity and who we can turn to when finding partners and collaborators for the development of programmes for PwD.

ACTIVITY

Download the activity PDF:

Organising a visit to the museum - what we need to know before coming to the museum.pdf

Step one:

On paper, write the terms related to the topic of the programme for PwD. These can be terms like:

programme for PwD
programmes for the elderly
visit with dementia
dementia museum programme
art programme for PwD

Use web browsers for this activity. Enter terms in the search engine and find out if there is an institution or organisation near you that offers programmes for PwD.

Step two:

Get in touch with representatives of the institution or organisation and learn more about the offer and how PwD can participate in the programme.

Step three:

Talk to PwD and ask them what they think about visiting a museum, archive, library or gallery. Explain to them how they can participate in the programme, how long the visit will last and what they can expect.

What will we need?

Before arriving at the museum, it is necessary to provide all the information on how to get to the museum, on the physical accessibility of the museum, on the person who will lead the group and the experience of working with people with dementia and activities offered by the museum. The degree of development of special programes for working with people suffering from dementia varies from country to country, but also from city to city.

Formal and informal caregivers, museum educators and curators should all work together with the goal of realising the best interests of PwD. Through numerous researches, experts have established that a major obstacle in achieving this type of cooperation is precisely the lack of public data and public information about the possibilities of including PwDin special programmes. This data must be easily and accessible to everyone.

We will need:

Contact base of all relevant institutions or associations of citizens dealing with the well-being of people suffering from memory loss.
Website and social networks where information about the programme can be found in archives or museums adapted for PwD
Promotional leaflet or brochure on the content of the cultural programme for PwD
Contact details of the person organising the cultural programme for PwD

Points for reﬂection

Use a web search to find out if museums near you have dementia-friendly programmes.
Prepare a PwD for a museum visit, talk to them and explain where they are going and why.
Before PwD come to the museum, you visit the museum and get to know the staff with whom you will be working.
Study the space and if there is a need for changes, warn the museum staff about the necessary adjustments.
Everyone's goal is for the user to be satisfied and to feel happy, comfortable and safe.

Resources

Video: IMMA launches dementia-inclusive online tours

Video: How does a person with dementia see the world?

2. Through the Cooperation of Caregivers and Curators / Educators to a Safe Museum Environment for PwD

2. Through the Cooperation of Caregivers and Curators / Educators to a Safe Museum Environment for PwD

What will we gain?

Dialogue between caregivers and curators / educators is extremely important because information about the habits and needs of a person with dementia can help the guide prepare or adapt a programme at the museum.

ACTIVITY

Download the activity PDF:

Cooperation for a safe museum environment for people with dementia.pdf

Step one:

Visit the museum or archive yourself and meet the staff who implement the programme adapted to work with PwD. Find out more information about the duration and the way the programme is carried out, about the space where PwD will be accommodated, about the proximity of toilets and auxiliary rooms, about lighting, about sound volume and everything that can become a challenge for PwD. For example: it will not be easy for people who have difficulty moving upstairs, and a room with too much sound will cause discomfort.

Step two:

Prepare basic information about PwD. This information will be a valuable source on the basis of which an educated museum employee will prepare for work. This is information such as:

habits
mobility
sensitivity to lighting or sounds in the room
talkativeness
gesticulation
and similar.

What will we need?

Accessibility to museums and archives - easy access to information and physical proximity to the location is a key prerequisite for the safe reception of all visitors to cultural and other institutions
Organisation of space for receiving and accommodating PwD - pay attention to the arrangement of the exhibition space or work space where you will accommodate visitors; make sure that there are no physical obstacles on the way through the museum that can make it difficult for people to move through the space; some visitors will visit the locations in wheelchairs, which means that the work space is adapted for movement with aids; think about what type of furniture to equip the work space with - the furniture must be comfortable and functional
People suffering from dementia are sensitive to light and sound sources - it is important to know how much is enough for the space to be lit and sounded

Points for reﬂection

Dialogue between carers and curators/educators helps to better adapt the environment to the needs of the PwD. It is good to know how to communicate with a person and how to behave in unforeseen situations.
It is also advisable to give information on whether museum staff have attended a course or workshops to acquire competencies to work with PwD in museums.

Resources

Video: The Museum of Modern Art

3. Museum Programme and Events for PwD

3. Museum Programme and Events for PwD

What will we gain?

A clear insight into the basic prerequisites that must be met in order to organise a successful and adapted program for people suffering from dementia.

ACTIVITY

Download the activity PDF:

Museum programme and events for people with dementia.pdf

If we want the program to be successful, good preparation is necessary. In addition to the importance of a well-designed program, such as a guided discussion about a work of art or the participation of visitors in workshops, it is very important to learn more about the PwD you will meet and who will be your visitors in time.

Learn more about for example:

the degree of PwD is facing
a person's specific way of communicating
habits, what a person likes
special working conditions, lighting or sound system
interesting details from the person's life, such as daily routines, favourite sweets, colours or sounds that the person likes
find out how a person calms down in situations where tension and anxiety may arise

Make a list of museum aids that can help you work with PwD especially in crisis situations. Of course, it is not always possible to react to unforeseen situations, but good preparation is half the job, and as your work experience grows, so will your confidence and success in working with PwD.

What will we need?

When preparing programs and events in which people with dementia will participate, we must pay attention to the following guidelines: number of PwD in the group, participation of an escort (caregiver or family member), for working with PwD (handling objects, making objects, tasting familiar flavours - awakening all the senses - perception - immersion).

Provide a place for the caregiver. Depending on the degree of dementia, PwD will be able to participate in the program independently, while others will be accompanied by a family member or caregiver.

Points for reﬂection

It is important to determine how many PwD, who are accompanied by caregivers, will be worked with by employees in the GLAM sector during the adapted program. The group must not be large in order not to impair the quality of the program and to be able to react well at any time in case of accidents or unforeseen situations.
Allow PwD to settle down comfortably. Start an informal conversation, listen carefully and patiently to the person telling you, pay attention to informal communication and body gestures.
After selecting a theme or museum item, offer replicas or other items that PwD can handle. Take care of unforeseen situations by not at any time preventing PwD from touching or participating in the handling of museum or archival items.

Resources

Video: The VERA framework – caring for patients with dementia

Video: The Museum of Modern Art

4. Online Program for PwD

4. Online Program for PwD

Woman helping older many with tablet computer

What will we gain?

The virtual world is an added value to our real environment, especially if we are not able to physically visit the museum or archive. Video conferencing or virtual museum tours are becoming specially designed programs in which PwD can participate. Conversations about works of art encourage reflection, sharing opinions and the like. Thanks to online programmes, the PwD has the opportunity to visit museums, engage in conversations about works of art and meet new people from the comfort of their own home, overcoming his/her motor problems.

ACTIVITY

Download the activity PDF:

Online programme for PwD.pdf

An online program such as a virtual workshop that you can organise for several people using a video conference can be very useful, especially in those moments when a physical visit to the museum or archive is impossible.

In that case, be prepared to use the following in your work:

computer equipment - a computer with a built-in camera and speakers
access to the Internet
a quiet room without additional noises that can make it difficult to work in virtual space
presentation or photos to share
searchable databases that you can share via computer

What will we need?

Devise a way to inform users about the program and whether there is a possibility for them to join the video conference.
Ask caregivers or family members with IT skills to provide PwD access to the computer and engage in virtual workshops/discussion.
Digitised resources like virtual tours or online collection search can serve the purpose of researching the database and finding suitable museum objects such as photographs or artistic paintings that can be used in working with PwD.

Points for reﬂection

Information on whether museum staff have attended a course or workshops to acquire competencies to work with PwD in museums.
How to create a safe online environment that protects users' privacy?
Think about whether your museum or archive has the possibility to organise a video conference and if not everything you need to do - computer equipment, internet access, applications, quiet room, etc.?

Resources

Video: IMMA launches dementia-inclusive online tours

EDUCATOR NOTES

GLAM PROFESSIONALS NOTES

CARERS NOTES

CARERS NOTES

Find out which institutions - museums, archives, galleries or libraries - organise programs for PwD in your area. Visiting a museum with a PwD can be effective in building self-efficacy as it offers him/her an opportunity to engage in an exchange where they can express themselves and interact without the pressure of dealing with questions which they might find difficult to answer.

Get in touch with the people who organise the programs and arrange a visit.

Before visiting or participating in the program, explain to the person with dementia where they are going, and relax them with a conversation.

Encourage the PwD to actively participate in the program, but don't force them, relaxation and comfort are key. Search for interesting topics related to PwD. This activity can be helpful to promote self-esteem as it gives the PwD opportunity for meaningful exchanges, both with family members / informal carers and with peers when implemented in group settings. Also, it gives PwD an opportunity to talk about their life history and interests to help bring out different parts of their personality, thus supporting in his/her identity and sense of self.

From a healthy lifestyle perspective this module is useful for PwD because it allows them and their carers to access tips and ways to visit a museum where it can help them to stimulate their emotional and cognitive skills. At the same time these cultural activities and programmes in museums, archives, libraries, and cultural venues help to reduce anxiety and direct them towards creativity and discovery, as well as engaging in social activities, to practise communication, develop and maintain companionship and sociability which help PwD to stay mentally clearer, healthier and have a healthier lifestyle.

From the perspective of strengthening citizenship, this module provides advice, methods and tips that improve the access of PwD to museums and cultural spaces, give them a voice and opportunity to be heard and express their views in cultural spaces, open ways for better social and cultural engagement of PwD with the help of their carers, and at the same time participate in the formation of social networks of support for culture and cultural creations. As well as supporting people with disabilities through culture, cultural spaces, and cultural activities also cultivating the sense of belonging in a community.