The Caring Museum

Book excerpt: "Ageing is a part of our individual and demographic future. Museums can help us imagine new ideas about ageing and new ways of caring." - Peter Whitehouse, Professor of Neurology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland and Professor of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto. The Caring Museum explores - in a practical way - current and developmental issues in the field of museums, galleries and ageing, with a clear emphasis on the emerging and innovative opportunities which ageing populations present. The book explores both the contribution older people are making to the development of museums and the ways in which museums are increasingly contributing to society in an ageing world. Population ageing is leading to major social change globally - and population growth is quickest in the oldest age groups. As a result, museums and galleries are having to adapt to the many opportunities and challenges which are already impacting them. Ageing is often depicted as being all about decline - mental, physical, personal, institutional and social - with little or nothing beneficial in the equation. Yet the reality is much more positive, complex, and nuanced. Museums and galleries have long known and understood that older age does not automatically negate our capacity for creativity, engagement and contribution. In this important book, leading museum and gallery professionals in the UK, USA, Europe and Australasia share their experience and offer key insights on how to respond to the changes which population-level ageing brings. This is not a passive collection of positive stories but one which recognizes the ups and downs of making the effort to engage with older people.