Accessing the museum’s collection for older people

What We Offer

Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life runs an outreach reminiscence service, taking the museum’s handling collection into residential homes and to memory cafes around Mid Devon.

  • Discount for multiple bookings
  • Sessions led by trained volunteers
  • Uses museum handling collection
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What is Reminiscence Therapy?

Reminiscene Therapy uses the senses (touch, sight, smell, sound) to help users remember events, places and people from their past. We use objects from the past to provoke reminiscence responses from service users.
Reminiscence Therapy has been shown to aid in cognitive function, encourage memory recall and improve the health and wellbeing of older people and those suffering with dementia.

Who is the Service For?

Sessions work best with a group of 5-12 people. Reminiscing is great fun for everyone involved and can help care home staff to get to know residents, and residents to to know the people they live with better. We recommend the service for people with mild to moderate or no dementia.
Larger grouops can be catered for with a ‘Down Memory Lane’ presentation.

Our Collections

We bring a collection of objects to our venue based around a theme such as ‘Childhood’. By talking about and passing around these objects we encourage service users to talk about their memories of their lives.

We can offer the following themes:

  1. Childhood
  2. Around the Kitchen Table
  3. Home Sweet Home
  4. Working Week
  5. School days
  6. Saturday Night Out
  7. Celebrations and Jubilations
  8. The War Effort
  9. We’re All Going on a Summer Holiday
  10. Farming
  11. Hobbies and Past Times

See our Reminiscence Service leaflet for more information
Call or email the Learning and Participation Officer for more information or to discuss the needs of your group at education@tivertonmuseum.org.uk or call 01884 256295.

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