Education and Social Relationships between Museums and Older People: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Rapidly ageing population increases the demand for activities with learning and social stimulation. Museums are well placed to provide such a function. Objective: How and in what form are museums engaging with older populations. The review will focus on three aspects: (1) Identifying the frameworks and tools being used by and in museums with older people. (2) Assess variables used in research and in areas that supports knowledge creation. (3) Identify evidence in relation to the interactions between museums and older audiences. A review of 8 databases and 2 university repositories (English and Portuguese language). The search retrieved 810 potential sources (2002-2020), 39 sources met the inclusion criteria. They focused on the educational aspects of museums and were produced by disciplines like psychology and gerontology, museology, arts and education. Museums play an important role on health (emphasis on psychological and physical wellbeing), socialization (discussing stereotypes, reducing isolation, redefining social roles), socioeconomic aspects (with local focus on services, partnerships) and on creative aging (promoting non-formal education with lifelong learning at different levels).

Keywords

• Ageing
• Audience engagement
• Lifelong learning
• Museum Studies
• Human Development
• Older populations