Museums are uniquely placed to support people living with dementia

In the UK, more than 1 million people are currently living with dementia. By 2040, that number is expected to rise to 1.4 million. By the time you finish reading this article, at least one more person will have received a life‑changing diagnosis.

As figures continue to grow, a greater proportion of our visitors will be living with dementia or supporting someone who is. This makes it an important moment for cultural venues to reflect on their environments, services and visitor experience to ensure they are as inclusive and welcoming as possible.

Museums, galleries, heritage sites and other cultural spaces are uniquely placed to support people living with dementia. Heritage is widely recognised as a powerful tool for improving wellbeing - offering opportunities for creative expression, reducing social isolation and providing meaningful engagement with collections.

Yet even with a clear understanding of the need, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Many teams are working with limited budgets, tight schedules and competing priorities. Existing resources are often produced by organisations outside the heritage sector, meaning they may not fully reflect the realities of historic buildings and operational constraints. Information can also be scattered, hard to locate and time‑consuming to interpret.

With this in mind, I have developed Heritage with Heart - a practical, sector‑specific toolkit designed to help cultural venues make realistic, meaningful improvements to become more dementia friendly and inclusive.

The content draws on over 15 years of heritage experience, specialist training and an additional 5 years of hands‑on work with people living with dementia. To save you time, the toolkit brings together a wide range of information and presents it in a clear, accessible format that supports confident decision‑making.

The toolkit includes:

• An overview of dementia: what it is, how it affects people and key statistics
• The value of heritage: how cultural venues can support wellbeing (particularly helpful for funding applications)
• Navigating visits: common challenges a person living with dementia may face when visiting a cultural space
• Quick‑win improvements: low‑cost, easy‑to‑implement changes suitable for most venues
• Environment checklist: an extensive, category‑based review tool to support practical assessment
• Example signage: a dementia‑friendly sign with annotations explaining key design features
• Why dementia‑friendly practice matters: the benefits for visitors, staff and the venue itself (also helpful for funding applications)
• Wellbeing considerations: potential impacts on participants and those involved in delivering dementia‑focused activities
• Future developments: ideas and signposting for longer‑term projects and extended support

This toolkit is not intended to be a prescriptive checklist or an expectation that venues will implement every suggestion. I know from experience that this is neither feasible nor realistic. Instead, it is designed to support reflection, guide achievable improvements and inspire longer‑term thinking where appropriate.

Whatever steps you are able to take, however small they may seem, will make a meaningful difference. The Alzheimer’s Society advocates the belief that it is possible to live well with dementia and as a sector, we are uniquely positioned to contribute to that.

A single sign, a repositioned piece of furniture or a small environmental adjustment may feel minor, but for a person living with dementia, it can completely transform their experience.

I hope Heritage with Heart proves a valuable resource in supporting your work and strengthening the inclusivity of your venue.

For additional information and support, please visit: Laura Cunningham | Cultural Heritage Freelancer or contact: hello@lauracunningham.co.uk

• Access the toolkit for free here