International Journal of Ageing and Later Life (Aug 2022)
The psychological and social impacts of museum-based programmes for people with a mild-to-moderate dementia: a systematic review
Abstract
The importance of museum-based interventions for people with dementia has been increasingly appreciated. Yet, there is relatively little known about the psychological and social impacts of these interventions. To address this, the authors undertook a systematic review to elucidate these aspects of museum-based programmes for people with mild-to-moderate dementia. Four electronic databases were searched systematically, and eleven studies were included. Key findings were synthesised thematically, and six themes were identified: mood and enjoyment, subjective wellbeing, personhood, cognition, engagement, and social outcomes. These positive findings suggest that museum-based interventions for people with a mild-to-moderate dementia can offer a range of valuable benefits. This review also clarified that further mixed-methods studies and wait-list controlled studies, to clarify the factors that benefits may be attributed to, will contribute towards a more robust evidence base. In turn, this would positively impact funding and guide policy in this area.
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