Community Partnerships:

Age Collective
Supported by

Age Collective Seminar London Monday 3rd September 2012

1. Age Collective - outline 2. Discussion points put forward 3. Key discussion points 4. Key action points 5. Priority Chart Appendix 6. Attendees 7. Mind Map 8. Discussion write-ups page 10 page 11 pages 12 25 pages 2 - 4 pages 5 pages 6 - 7 pages 7 - 8 page 9

Images from Age Collective Seminar British Museum, Sept 2012

1. Age Collective Seminar Series

The British Museum is supporting a number of cross-sector seminars in the UK to explore how museums and galleries can better work with and for older people in their communities in partnership with organisations from other sectors. The British Museum will be working with National Museums Northern Ireland, Manchester Museum and Glasgow Life. Each museum brings together local and national practitioners and representatives from a cross-section of organisations to discuss how, through partnership and collaboration, museums and galleries can better support older people in their communities. Age Collective is funded by the Esme Fairbairn Foundation.

Aim The aims of the seminars are to: Listen to the voices of older adults explore the needs of diverse communities of older people and the varied provision for meeting these needs across the UK. Share good practice develop ideas to support museums across the UK to better cater for the older people within their localities in partnership with other organisations. Develop inter-disciplinary partnerships encourage social care, health and advice providers for older people to view museums as potential valuable partners. Formulate a shared action plan create a cross-sector network to drive change, with the aim of increasing opportunities and wellbeing for the diverse communities of older people in different parts of the UK. Research improve the work that we do; formulate new ways of collaborating with other sectors and disciplines to locate new areas for collaborative research.

Methodology The seminars invite practitioners already working with older people with the aim of bringing together strong voices to facilitate a discussion where all attendees can raise relevant issues and ideas.

The seminars will use the Open Space1 technique to enable collaborative discussion between museums working with older people, and stakeholders beyond the heritage sector. With no pre-set agenda, the methodology ensures that the meeting is collaborative and the discussions best reflect the interests of all attending individuals. Centred on the theme of how museums and galleries can better work with and for older people in their communities in partnership with organisations from other sectors, delegates raise the discussion points focusing on actions to be taken forward. The discussion content and action points are then collated, prioritised and distributed as the work of the entire group.

Using this document The first Age Collective seminar was held at the British Museum on Monday 3rd September. The seminar brought together over 80 delegates to represent local and national organisations working with older adults. Sectors present included heritage, arts, healthcare, hospitals, universities, research, social care, funding, charities, local council and community organisations. This document begins with a list of the questions put forward by the attending delegates and an outline of the key discussion points drawn from the wider set of questions. This is followed by a summary of the key action points and a chart of the priority areas selected by delegates at the end of the seminar as matters needing the greatest attention. The document ends with a more detailed outline of each conversation, a mind map linking the discussion topics, and a list of organisations represented at the British Museum Age Collective seminar. This document will be circulated to all attendees and can be used by them as they see fit to move this work forward. It will be made available online and on-going debate and revision will be encouraged at every point. The main aim is to make a change improve the work that we do, formulate new ways of collaborating between museums and galleries and with other sectors and disciplines and perhaps locate new areas for collaborative research.

1 Open Space is a way of facilitating a discussion as democratically as possible. Its methodology ensures that

the meeting agenda and discussions best reflect the needs of all participants. Participants agree to attend to take an active part in a dialogue within a predetermined theme. All discussions focus on actions to be taken forward.

Next Steps The next three seminars will take place in spring 2013. The host partners will be National Museums Northern Ireland, Glasgow Life and Manchester Museum (dates to be confirmed early next year). Each host partner will bring together local and national practitioners to ensure the conversations are as inclusive and far-reaching as possible. Each seminar is designed to gauge interest and explore the themes partners feel are important in their local areas. After all four seminars have taken place the resulting discussions and documents will be analysed to draw out key recommendations aimed at dramatically improving provisions and opportunities for older people. The recommended priority areas as identified by the range of sectors at the seminars will also be collated to identify a shared action plan for the museum sector to work towards. The final and key dissemination event will be a major conference where seminar attendees will present the most exciting outputs of the process so far to a wider audience. The conference is the opportunity for individuals not yet actively working with older audiences to learn from the experience of the seminar participants, respond to the programme outputs and be inspired to join the Age Collective process.

Further Information For more information about the Age Collective programme please contact Harvinder Bahra Community Partnership Coordinator at the British Museum on hbahra@britishmuseum.org.

How can museums and galleries better work with and for older people in their communities in partnership with organisations from other sectors? 2. Discussion points put forward by participants
Focusing on the theme of how museums and galleries can better work with and for older people in their communities in partnership with organisations from other sectors, the following questions were put forward by the delegates at the London seminar:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Diversity: older people are not homogenous how can museums and galleries reflect this in their practice? How can museums and galleries reach out to diverse audiences? How can museums and galleries include older adults more deeply? How can museums and galleries promote choice? Museums and galleries have family days should they have older peoples days slower paced and possibly without children? What can museums offer that is different? Do older people need something special or have similar requirements to other audiences? What can museums offer and how can we spread the word? What do museums and galleries want to achieve in working with older people? How can museums and galleries support each other in their practice? How can we make our programmes more sustainable? How can evaluation be conducted effectively? How can we innovate through arts and heritage as beneficial for physical, emotional and social wellbeing? How can we bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and arts organisations? How can museums better engage with care homes for older people? How do we select groups/partners to work with? What about those that don't belong to a group? How do we work with experts/organisations who already reach older people? How can museums support older people to continue to learn? Can more active/independent/confident older people support those who are less so? How should we fund activities for older people and are they rich enough to pay for it? How can we differentiate? How can we spread the word to the LGBT Community? How do we engage older men in our programmes? How can we ensure people with dementia are included in our discussions? How can museums help improve perceptions of older people?

3. Key discussion points

The key discussion points listed below have been drawn out from the wider set of questions and present some of the recurring themes from the first Age Collective seminar at the British Museum. There is a perception that older people are well catered for but is this actually the case? How is this known? Should there be specific programming for older people, or more integration into museum visit activities for all ages? What are the needs of older adults that should be catered for? Are these different from other audiences who face barriers to visiting? Diversity: older people are heterogeneous, as are museums. We need to consider how to reach, and what to provide for, older people who may face barriers to visiting due to age related illness (mobility, dementia, isolation...) and those who may face social or economic barriers (ethnic minorities, LGBT, low income...) What can museums provide that is different to other services? How can museums build choice into their offer and programmes? How can older people be supported to become active participants in museum practice? Can and should activities reach the most isolated groups, when working with established partners reaches more people? How can activities support learning? How does a museum choose which local partners to work with? Who are the right partners? Who does this exclude? How to use technology? Who can we learn from with the recognition that technology can be inclusive and exclusive? How can museums across the sector support each other? Who are the key partners beyond the sector that museums need to interlink with? How can rigorous evidence-based research be built into this area of museum practice? There is a need for advocacy museums are not viewed by government, health and social sectors as strong potential partners in their support of older people within the community. What are museums trying to achieve? How can we evaluate it? Can museums support a perception change regarding ageing and older people? How can museums support programmes financially and sustainably? How can we develop relationships with funders, tap into the wealth of some older people (who are also current/potential donors, members/friends etc...) 6

 Can existing systems be used or developed to enable more active/independent/confident older people to support visits by more isolated older people? (What about 'buddies' of different ages?)

4. Key action points:

The key action points below have been drawn out from the wider discussions and present some of the recurring points put forward at the first Age Collective seminar at the British Museum. This series of seminars and conference offers a good way of developing ideas on how museums across the sector can support each other and develop partnerships beyond the sector. Museums need to be part of their local networks, advocating their value and supporting better inter-sector services for older people museums, health and social care providers, universities, community-based organisations, larger older people's organisations and local government. Work in clusters to develop research applications and funding bids. If all museums did something small and resource-light, as a sector we would create a huge resource for older people to tap into. We need to encourage the sector to realise that it doesn't need vast resources to make successful programmes. Find and link with technology providers to start problem-solving find shared interests. Museums need to be responsive, making an offer (or a menu of offers) but also listening to what is wanted and offering active participation in the shaping of the offer. Action Diversity and Equality needs to make museums more accessible practical change suitable seating, accessible toilets, mobility aids and staff training need to build this into all design. Information needs to be created for older people and training for older people's group leaders is invaluable to give clear visiting advice such as providing access information, suggesting collections that might be of interest and a little quieter and places to eat. Opportunities for museums to develop specific programmes including grandparents days and befriending days as well as intergenerational and social opportunities. One suggestion was times when the museum is quieter or closed to non-older adults. This was however a contested idea during the seminar. Work up something modelled on the Kids in Museums manifesto and work with older people to draw up a list of practical ideas that will make museums better for older people advocate, publicise, encourage sign up and champion. Make links to current campaigns such as the Campaign to End Loneliness. 7

 Develop a friendly welcome. Develop learning activities specifically for older people that are not simply focused on reminiscence and the past. Older people require challenges and opportunities to gain new knowledge and experience through activities that are stimulating and unfamiliar. Create a single source of information. Could this be a website (the Age of Creativity?) to reach out to older people and develop partnerships? This could be used to link to other resources, not all of which would necessarily need to be uploaded on its site. Also need to think how this could be funded. A single source of evidence-based evaluation of what older people want could also take place (research library). Short case studies of good practice, how to reach out to older people and how to develop partnerships, manifestos, key information for staff (particularly front of house) and marketing advice could be developed. Challenge our perceptions of what older people want and possibly the perceptions of their other service providers, families and carers. To do this we need to ask a diverse cross section of older people and record responses centrally for all museums, rather than museums having individual forums... Could this be a place for shared evaluation? A way to find key indicators and feedback findings from across the sector? This can then be used to challenge more general public perceptions e.g. a collection of frailties that requires support rather than a valuable community resource. (Older people can be valuable for local history museums due to their memories, though word of warning in discussions about only offering reminiscence.) Advocate for Age Collective and Age of Creativity through Museums Association, Arts Council, Royal Society Public Health etc. Look for other organisations to target to reach across different sectors? Develop the idea of volunteer befrienders who could support visits for more isolated older people. Especially in health and social care settings where staff resource prohibits visiting. U3A, Time Banking, local befriending schemes and volunteering organisations can be used as examples for this scheme. Social care is also changing so older people are having more control over care budgets - they could choose cultural offer... Create socialising opportunities in museums, specific to need. Example: the Alzheimer's Association Memory Cafe idea. Create opportunities for dementia sufferers and their family/carers; create conversation tables in cafes with prompts so that visitors can chat to each other... Develop roles for older people within activities voluntary or otherwise value, responsibility and self-worth are key motivators. Think about how family and youth activities (often easier to fund) can be accompanied by an intergenerational element. Advocate for greater funding opportunities and sector level interest in older audiences (Arts Council...)

5. Discussion Points Priority Chart

At the end of the Age Collective seminar at the British Museum each delegate was allocated 5 stickers to distribute between the wider set of discussion points to indicate which they felt were of the most importance to take forward.

APPENDIX
6. Attendees at the London Age Collective seminar
Representatives from the following organisations attended the Age Collective seminar at the British Museum on 3rd Sept. 2012: Age Concern Age of Creativity Age UK Age UK Camden Age UK Oxford Alzheimers Society Association of Education and Ageing Baring Foundation Barnet Museum BCOP - Broadening Choices for Older People: West Midlands British Museum British Society of Gerontology (University of Exeter) Building Exploratory Camden Carers Camden Council Strategic Commissioner, Mental Health Care Camden Intergeneration Network Canterbury Christ Church University - Department of Applied Psychology Coventry Heritage and Arts Trust Creative Dementia Arts Network Dulwich Picture Gallery Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Centre Geffrye Museum Henderson Court Holborn Community Association Kings College University Latin American Elderly Project Leicester University Museum Studies Magic Me National Museums Northern Ireland Opening Doors Oxfordshire County Council Museums Service Royal Academy of Arts RSVP the retired and senior volunteer programme Science Museum SeNS (Seniors Network Support) Leeds Library and Information Service Shape Arts Social Care Association Guys and St Thomas' Charity Tate Modern The Stroke Association U3A University of the Third Age Viewfinder Photography Gallery

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7. Mind map of themes

The mind map below presents the themes put forward at the Age Collective seminar in London. They can be centred on two main points: 1. Museums are not homogenous 2. Older people are not homogenous This understanding needs to be present when trying to address each of the discussion points put forward the diversity of interests and needs for older adults and the varying reach and capacity of Museums.

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8. Discussion Write-up:
Pages 12 to 25 are the notes taken from each conversation during the Age Collective seminar, including additional comments placed on the discussion wall for each conversation. The discussion/action points for each question can be used as stand-alone suggestions for your own research in these areas. 1. Diversity: older people are not homogenous how can museums and galleries reflect this in their practice? Practical access issues seating, wheelchairs, toilets, expensive refreshments and audio guides. Develop new programmes in collaboration with community groups. Encourage groups to run their own programmes (and offer support to find funding). Develop more creative approaches i.e. Youtube films. Build on 100 objects idea but for different communities (i.e. History of Women in 100 objects) online? Older people should be enabled to participate in exhibition development. Exhibition designers need to think about access throughout design which should form a consistent part of their design brief. The learning that results from partnership working with community audiences needs to be fed back throughout the organisation to support its work at all levels.

2. How can museums and galleries reach out to diverse audiences? Utilise already existing newsletters and mailing lists. Join up with libraries. Publicise through faith networks. Link with Campaign to End Loneliness. Support community volunteer programmes. Work out who is not visiting; build relationships, set up user groups and run outreach visits. Tackle the issue of transport perhaps with the local authority? Offer a Museum mini bus? Training for Front of House staff through to curators to ensure older people receive a welcome and positive experience. Training needs to be provided in areas of Diversity and Equality law and in access needs throughout all organisations. Special activities on special days. 12

Appropriate seating and opportunities to sit down with things to see/do. Appropriate signage and labels size matters in terms of font as well as label. Cultural awareness. Flexibility. We can't be tokenistic work into permanent collections as well as temporary exhibitions and special events galleries should reflect the community around the museum. Local language resources could be made available (i.e. on audio guides, leaflets). Support for grandparents and carers. Focus on ancestry. Use local council older people's groups. Use handling objects, take collections off site, use replicas, encourage touch and other senses wherever conservation allows. Encourage people to think about their ancestry and share their own stories. List parts of the museum (collection or physical spaces that may be of particular interest to older people due to the content/being quieter/having better seating...)

3. How can museums and galleries include older adults more deeply? (i.e. exhibitions) Mobile projects. Put on plays about exhibitions. Link to other activities that older people are participating in (e.g. gardening). Should focus be depth of engagement or breadth of engagement? Make a film about how to engage with local museum and use as promotional tool direct people to YouTube. Provide friendly visit support volunteers, transport and language. Provide social opportunities enable older visitors to develop their networks.

4. How can museums and galleries promote choice? Work with small groups and develop ideas with them. Use free newspapers to reach those living in isolation. Older people tend to prefer leaflets rather than online information so the move to digital information is an issue. Provide ear pieces and microphones for tours. Museum education is an important way of continuing education education based on interest. There is less of this available through universities. Museums are often the only way for older people to continue their learning interests. 13

Actions: Museums could lead educational tutorials for older people/promoted to older people. Volunteers trained to be guides for small groups develop a list of volunteers interested in supporting older visitors. Need member of staff to coordinate visits. Need a central info point supporting museums to know what channels are best for getting information to older people.

5. Museums and Galleries have family days should they have older peoples days slower paced and possibly without children? Be aware that family days don't exclude other visitors. Also be aware that many older people visit with children and take pleasure in being around children.

6. What can museums offer that is different? Do older people need something special or have similar requirements to other audiences? Question was explored in relation to Question 7 below.

7. What can museums offer and how can we spread the word? Discussion points: Group leaders have difficulty finding the relevant information on museum and gallery websites and they are the key to informing the groups they work with What museums can offer is too broad a question how do we break it down. Do we have to distinguish between what an older audience needs in the first place? Is it helpful to create tailored offers or does this reinforce group as different and hard to reach? Spread the word it is the responsibility of museums and galleries to distribute information to group leaders to pass on. A monthly email or newsletter to include practical information on opening times, parking and access etc. but also information on free tours, special exhibitions and programmes specifically for target groups and how they can get involved. An umbrella website listing all of the relevant information for 55+ adults to find out what is available and to connect museum and gallery staff with new partner organisations. Museums and galleries can also connect with other organisations to recommend guides/sessions that have worked particularly well. Local radio. Capitalizing on child and family activities: perhaps a sleepover where children are encouraged to bring their grandparents. Adults will then recommend the museum to their generation. 14

Actions

Awareness that entry is often free! Gatekeepers taster sessions or off-site visits so that group leaders have opportunity to find out more and discuss the specific needs of their groups. What can museums offer be honest about who you are and what you can offer You cannot be everything to everyone and you must be realistic about what you can offer. Getting the balance right between tailor-made sessions which use the groups own frame of reference so it is familiar and personal and sessions which introduce something alien and new. Collaboration and participation involvement from the beginning, from decision making about projects and exhibitions, so that they can see their input and the final output. Funding applications to include posts for older individuals to be employed as part of a project working with target groups opportunities within an organisation to optimise long-term and expanding relationships. Changing focus on youth-based work to include other groups. Museums and galleries could benefit from an advisory board made up of 55+, this is something really lacking from organisations. They can bring us fresh ideas as well as a lifetime of skills and knowledge while developing new ones. Research partnerships particularly where wellbeing is concerned and evidence-based learning required Contacting transport schemes which need support as their funding has been cut. They can connect people with museums and different groups with one another.

8. What do museums and galleries want to achieve in working with older people? Desire to support and emphasise older people making a contribution to society. Motivating older people to engage socialising, enjoyment, getting out of the house. How can we set up opportunities for older people to make a contribution to society through a museum/gallery? Encourage contributions to social history collections older people as specialists, volunteers, support staff for other older people/audiences. Need for mechanism/method to inform people of opportunities and resources estate agent packages, GPs, prescriptions for art... Supporting older people to be confident participants. Museums more actively, where possible, encouraging visits from older people. Museums taking care of visitors: suitable refreshments, access, seating. Creating spaces for conversations i.e. a 'common table' at cafs specifically for those who want to engage others in conversation perhaps with conversation starter tools. Or special rooms for community to hold own events in collaboration with the museum cross-promotion. 15

Actions Caf conversations opportunity provided for conversations to start in museums interconnects with Alzheimer's society's 'Memory Caf' idea.

9. How can museums and galleries support each other in their practice? (Particular interest in outreach and new technologies.) Would be good to share knowledge in a central place short case studies of what different organisations are doing so that others can get in touch and use ideas. Interest in developing intergenerational work museums and galleries are good places for people to come together share ideas on this too e.g. intergenerational and cross-cultural projects where young Muslim boys interviewed older local residents worked well. Using younger people to encourage older people to get online. We Are What We Do Historypin project is a great example of that working with schools and older people to share skills and local stories through uploading old photos to Google Maps. Class divisions and resentment issues still apparent. Technology as a way to bridge these barriers. Lending technology such as simple laptops to care homes, day centres etc. rather than in-house handling sessions? Train local befrienders to get more tech savvy? This would be very accessible but expensive. Accessible printed marketing still very direct and efficient way of engaging older people. Staff from British Museum can help send out to networks? Need to educate funders too. Museums and galleries can join together for lobbying could use website as way to initiate that. Use of volunteers sharing volunteer resources? Valuing volunteer resources. Museums and galleries need more guidance: a place to find more artists, ideas, facilitators and people with the same interests and other galleries with similar programmes. Again, Age of Creativity is a way to help with that. To engage older people outside gallery space, maybe educators and staff could move like handling collections do? Joining up models of best practice sharing work would be positive and could lead to longer-term work. How do you bring the museum to the centre? Have one visit to exhibition then work off-site? Important for brief/grounding of workshop. Varied audiences, transport expense barrier. You can still take the gallery out to the people. Transport budgets cut, staff cuts, more resource heavy need funding for off-site projects. 50/50 bring people in and external visits. Use own materials ideas and 16

concepts approach first. Peer-led participants define own learning. Online model workshops/resources as toolkits. Trainer training volunteers trained for workshops. Use networks that museums and galleries already have to spread information and go for funding in clusters. Develop ideas in partnership for collaborative research. Try to give support to those who have less resource. Difficulty of funding for older audiences younger prioritised. Use of technology to engage older audiences (i.e. Wii Fit in exercise class) engaged younger not older people. Different museums and galleries have different partnerships. British Museum works actively with 50 or so organisations, trying to bring these together to share best practice. Good to share knowledge, form a menu of these ideas i.e. Tate, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Royal Academy etc., then use these partnerships to go for funding together, research and collaborate and support other museums and galleries who may not have these resources. Diverse and vast audiences open to ideas of something new and to spark inspiration. Research into what museums and galleries provide for older people. Encourage others to see this work as resource light if all museums in UK did one thing once a month for older people there would be a huge amount on offer and a really diverse range of opportunities. The British Museum programme runs on tea and biscuits with a small amount of staff time nothing resource heavy as have never had external funding for it. Keeping resources very light: tea, coffee, cake, biscuits and core staff are all you need! No need to be flashy with materials. Often need to work off-site which has time and resource implications. Encourage groups to develop their own learning makes it individual they decide what they want to do start with concept/idea and define own learning. Develop ideas for workshops from this that others can use and can make available online? This may mean training for care staff etc.? Volunteers can be trained to deliver outreach if unaffordable. Offer museum space for under-funded local groups in return for focus groups. Age of Creativity website as single hub of information relating to museums and older people. Staff, freelancers, volunteers and objects move around share knowledge, ideas and reach out. Develop ideas with straightforward laptops/technology accessible to everyone. 17

Actions:

Try to partner with a technology specialist encourage their support via CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Volunteer sharing and training discuss challenges around that. Museums and galleries can join together to lobby for new partners. Joint collaborative grants/doctorates/research etc.

10. How can we make our programmes more sustainable? How can we build relationships with funders to support long-term working relationships? Question was explored in relation to Question 11 below.

11. How can Evaluation be conducted effectively? Could museums start evaluating using methods that can be cross-referenced? Can we work with funders to develop methods that we all accept? Can we work on clinical applications evidence-based rigorous? Can the Arts Council support? Establish frameworks that cross into different sectors i.e. health and social care and museums/arts. Collaborate and use mixed methodologies. Need to accept that the idea of wellbeing is subjective. Design research using tried and tested questionnaires. Use verbal and non-verbal data collection i.e. posture, eye contact and number of minutes participant speaks. Randomised control trials needed to get medical people listening. Work with other organisations to gather baseline data before a project starts i.e. GP helps particularly with small groups. Integrate qualitative and quantitative methods language sets these against each other. Find key words/terms in qualitative data and collaborate across the sector to develop a framework. Create a working group of healthcare, museum, gallery and library professionals. Network of people who work towards a set of shared projects to design a framework to evaluate arts and health to effectively measure impact and sustainability.

Actions:

The 3 questions put forward below were explored in one conversation. 18

12. How can we innovate through arts and heritage as beneficial for physical, emotional and social wellbeing? 13. How can we bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and arts organisations? 14. How can museums better engage with care homes for older people? Innovate each other and learn from each other. Promote each other's worth to each other. Support each other with training. Engage with and talk to current staff and trainees. Better to work with a small number of care homes and do so sustainably. Linda Sargent Words and Wings. NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) Enhancing Informal Adult Learning for Older People in Care Settings project.

15. How do we select groups/partners to work with? What about those that don't belong to a group? The conversation began around the question of how to work with individuals who do not belong to any group or organisation. Who are these individuals? What is the barrier? Healthy and physically fit individuals whom the museum doesnt appeal to; physically or mentally isolated people with no capacity to link to family, friends or groups and therefore with no way to access the museum or who do not think of the museum as being part of their lives. If we raised the presence of older people in museums, would this attract older visitors? How? Consultation in exhibitions, museum design etc. Older people can offer museums lots too volunteering, ideas, experiences, knowledge of past, donations; National Trust has 4 million paying members many of these are older people why? How? We should look at the partners we have and older visitors who do come what stops older people from coming? What makes older people visit? What are we doing that works/doesnt work? Grassroots evaluation of our offer. Some people just dont want to visit and thats fine! Some people may visit once, have a great experience and not want a long-term relationship we can make museums accessible and welcoming and thats our role. Public image of museum is very important. Partnerships can provide an answer also many organisations are working to reach out to these individuals.

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The conversation then moved onto partnerships. We considered what the we in the questions means museums selecting audience groups as partners; older peoples groups selecting museums as partners; museums selecting institutions, stakeholders, funding bodies etc. as partners. There is a cost in creating and maintaining relationships. Importance of advocacy in attracting partners. Who approaches who? There is a danger in partnering with inappropriate partners; it is important to negotiate outcomes and needs of all partners, set up and agree on a clear structure for partnership. Funding bodies why arent older people prioritised? There is a Ford Centre for Young Visitors at the BM why not a centre or designated space for older people? How can we secure funding for long-term sustainable relationships (not just projects)? What are the museums priorities? This affects who museums partner with location of partners, overall mission statement Think positively about partnerships people are willing to help each other! National Care Forum. NIACE (the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) Enhancing Informal Adult Learning for Older People in Care Settings project. Joseph Rowntree Dementia without Walls project individuals suffering from dementia are able to wander freely around spaces. Can we team up with healthcare organisations better? Trust in GPs. Can we partner with places where older people might already visit? E.g. Working together across heritage sector. How can we be more open and accessible? We need to be very clear about what we offer. Designated time for older people to visit galleries and exhibitions, possibility of whole range of support to assist visitors e.g. sign language support, audio guides, provisions for guide dogs, tours designed to appeal to older people. Train Front of House staff. More tasters e.g. outreach, afternoons. Timings of special views can be restrictive availability of care support, transport is much better in the daytime. Change is coming we are living in an ageing population we need to address these issues now! Review offer. Review current partnerships whats working? Whats not? 20

Action:

Identify potential large-scale partners and stakeholders. Consider day/afternoon/time and space takeovers. Training of FOH staff. Communication across departments. Greater presence of older people around in museums. Pilot and test things!

16. How do we work with experts/organisations who already reach older people? Edo/Tokyo museum Genki project. Encourage and develop behind the scenes visits to encourage collaboration.

17. How can museums support older people to continue to learn? Use museums as a way of encouraging older people to use the web libraries can support this. Can older people teach within museums? - peers, younger audiences? community learning. U3A is a good source of examples. Older people want to keep learning oral history and reminiscence just a part of this. Offer learning that doesn't necessarily call itself learning too other motivations (i.e. socialising) . Do not always focus on evidencing learning can be organic and informal without lots of predetermined outcomes. What needs to be free? If free, then often unsustainable. Reach out and widen successful offer to others: partnerships, silver surfers, GPs, community organisations. Museums often seem to focus on schools, children and families. Capitalise on this with a 'bring your grandparents/grandchildren day'. Intergenerational elements are really important. Need to think about people in small towns, villages, rural locations. Hints and advice could be distributed to make visiting more pleasurable i.e. quiet galleries, places to take the grandchildren, local amenities... Focus on 'quick wins' an build on those that work. Access needs to continue to improve. Encourage each other to use facilities collectively 'take someone with you' could be facilitated through befriending services and volunteers. Respond to needs of a generation used to making its own mind up. 21

Actions:

Must be relevant and meaningful not just about visitor numbers. Collaborate with FE museums could be alternate site for learning as FE opportunities are less accessible now due to cost.

18. Can more active/independent/confident older people support those who are less so? Valuing expertise and experience. Recruit through partner organisations. Be flexible recognise older people have other commitments. Support intergenerational programmes. Time banking proven way of rewarding volunteering. Networking/social schemes. Develop programmes from the ideas of older people use their motivation and momentum. Identify partners from other sectors (i.e. Time bank) develop a directory. Lead taster sessions to recruit and share ideas. Identify advocates/champions. Adult Social Care is providing personalised budgets get onto menu of opportunities and develop a menu with partners develop relationship to reach most isolated. Encourage confident older people to disseminate information. Include some activities where children can come with grandparents.

Actions:

19. How should we fund activities for older people and are they rich enough to pay for it? How can we differentiate? Many older people are low income particularly women. Reaching isolated is much more resource intensive. Volunteers still cost an organisation as staff time is needed to administer and organise. Museums run courses mainly subscribed by older people that are very expensive can one balance the other? Some older people are obviously capable of paying. Mind-set might be a barrier rather than money. Issue of refreshments often being expensive packed lunch areas often only for children/families. Need cost analysis social return on investment demonstrate tangible outcomes. Need to utilise regional profiles of older people though not forgetting that there 22

can be pockets of deprivation in wealthy areas. Map Friends/Membership schemes and value to museums vs. cost and against age of membership. Give opportunities for older people to give donations. Bequests need to be part of this conversation though difficult! Passports to leisure.

20. How can we spread the word to the LGBT Community? Question put forward but not explored as a separated conversation. The issue may have been address in Questions 1 and 21.

21. How do we engage older men in our programmes? Ask them what they want from museums. Invest time and target them - be very specific 'this is for men'. Men seem to prefer something with an outcome not just socialising topicbased practical tasks. Men attract men to programmes. Who is an 'older man'? Need to consider diversity and exclusion issue. Computers are a good draw for many, as are certain topics such as transport, money, industry and making topics linked to their employment history, where they hold knowledge. Music. Resource implications through targeting like this. Is there a bigger issue regarding stereotyping what older people might like and the skills of those available to provide it i.e. older people are linked to knitting, gardening, cooking, TV, bingo, shopping trips but is this more to do with what's available perhaps many women are also uninterested in these things, but the staff working around them are comfortable resourcing and providing it. Particular health/age related ailments affect proportionally more men than women. These may be charities/groups to approach.

22. How can we ensure people with dementia are included in our discussions? How can we make museums and galleries more dementia friendly? Constraints of museum visiting due to staffing and transport transport essential for later stages. Shortage or reaction/coping mechanisms of those with severe dementia. Need to be flexible and go with the flow. Better seating. 23

Could visits happen when museum is closed? Visits require extra resource transport and staff costs and preparation to deal with anxious participants. Visual and tactile object handling is a very effective tool no need for a directed narrative but need to be sensitive re: object choices and responses. There is perhaps too much emphasis on reminiscence need opportunities for new learning. Need to distinguish between different stages of dementia and their needs often those of different stages don't want to come together attracting those at an early stage means a relationship has developed before later stages of illness. There is a difference between people who have been regular museum visitors and those who haven't. Could offer activity with carers/family and also for them specifically. Could volunteer befrienders reach those who are more isolated? I.e. sheltered housing? Look at examples such as Meet Me at MOMA, Dulwich Picture Gallery, British Museum's outreach and community previews of exhibitions and Liverpool's House of Memories. Use Age UKs Opening Doors resource, Arts for Dementia resources, Inmind. Action: Museums and galleries to share ideas and information on effective sessions. Offsite work is most effective at reaching those in later stages, but encouraging visits is a realistic goal need to support staff to be confident in bringing groups. Lots of resources and staff/volunteers. Need to think about BME and languages etc. Regular drop in for different stages. Also more awareness how do we support those with dementia visiting alone/with carer? Carers should go free. Need to reach least stimulated those in care homes. Need to raise older people's expectations. Need to be clearer about how museums are dementia friendly what does this entail? Clearly communicate the offer. Potential for museums and galleries to provide space and activities as part of Alzheimer's Society's 'Memory Cafs' www.dementiafriendlycommunities@alzheimers.org.uk Engage locally through local Dementia Action Alliances. Training for gallery staff in communication and access support.

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23. How can museums help improve perceptions of older people? Celebrate their knowledge and achievements. Give them opportunities to self-represent. Different kinds of volunteering using wider range of skills/experience/knowledge. Think of older people as more than a set of frailties. Give a role something valued, relevant and worthwhile. Think about language 'capability groups' not 'older people's groups' or a set age such as 55+. Labelling activity for 'older' people could be a barrier. Action Celebrate their knowledge and achievements. Think holistically about access i.e. not only older people who need to sit down, may have hearing/sight issues. Road test design with older people. Focus on the positives engage with skills and experience of older people. Wider volunteering opportunities use their creativity and skills. Value placed on role of older people.

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