‘Art gives you something to hold on to’: Dutch museum launches dementia-friendly programme

Kunstconnectie tour in Kunstmuseum Den Haag
A series of workshops and tours for people with dementia and their carers at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag (Art Museum The Hague) in the Netherlands, aims to use art as a means of connection.
The "Kunstconnectie" (Art Connection) programme, which launches on 28 June, involves six specially trained museum guides running events on the last Friday afternoon of each month.
“The beautiful thing about art is that it often works on your emotions and, crucially, dementia does not affect the heart,” says Maaike Staffhorst, a spokesperson for the museum.
“Your emotions do not get dementia. People with dementia still have feelings and they can give a sense of fulfilment: ‘I feel something and I can talk about it.’”
Each month’s event will focus on a different theme such as colour, nature and clothing. Guides will approach chosen works in the Modern art museum and use them to spark conversation, memories and emotion.
“For the carer, this brings a level of equality too,” Staffhorst says. “You can talk about the same thing, you can both add something and this is very enriching for everyone.”
The programme was inspired by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York’s Alzheimer’s Project and access events such as Meet Me at MoMA. It is part of a series of efforts in the Netherlands, which is home to an ageing population, to improve facilities and awareness around Alzheimer’s disease—a common cause of dementia.
“For some time, we have seen that more people and also younger people are living with dementia and at the Kunstmuseum we want to be there for everyone,” Staffhorst says. “Art gives you something to hold on to.”
• Art Connection, Kunstmuseum Den Haag, from 28 June

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