National Museums Liverpool, in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) in the United States, has launched the US version of the award winning House of Memories dementia awareness programme to help Americans to live well with dementia.
House of Memories, developed by the National Museums Liverpool team, has been running at the Museum of Liverpool since 2012, and has trained more than 12,000 professional and family caregivers across the UK to support people to live well with dementia. Museums can be fantastic resources for helping unlock memories, improving communication and understanding, and enriching the lives of those living with dementia.
Every 65 seconds someone in the US develops Alzheimer’s disease, and as the US population ages, the rate of diagnosis will grow. In addition, African-Americans are two times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia than non-Hispanic whites.
Carol Rogers, executive director of education and visitors at National Museums Liverpool says: “September marks World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma which surrounds dementia. We are proud to be working in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society, to launch House of Memories in the US.
“We’re excited to see how the US version will help Americans living with dementia and their carers to connect and share memories together and we hope that, alongside our partners at the Minnesota Historical Society, we will see House of Memories expand to other museums and historical societies across the US.”
The House of Memories US programme will include a US version of the award-winning My House of Memories app, dementia awareness training workshops, resources and activities. The programme has been three years in the making through an exchange of knowledge and collaboration between the House of Memories team in Liverpool and museum colleagues at the Minnesota Historical Society.
The easy-to-use My House of Memories app is free to download to tablets or smartphones from iTunes or Google Play. It has been downloaded more than 30,000 times since its launch at the House of Commons in 2014, and currently has more than 13,000 users, with more than 41,000 activities taking place on the app.
The US version of the My House of Memories app features more than 100 objects from the Minnesota Historical Society’s collections, which can help those living with dementia draw on memories to create personal connections with family, friends and caregivers. It includes items relating to man’s first landing on the moon, an Elvis concert ticket, a Minnesota Vikings helmet and an image of Dr Martin Luther King Jr speaking against war in Vietnam on the St Paul Campus of University of Minnesota in 1967.
Kent Whitworth, director and CEO of the Minnesota Historical Society, says: “In working to develop the US version of the app and training workshops, we were able to tap into our extensive collections in exciting new ways. The app includes items like a Vikings fan helmet, toys and dolls, and civil rights images and audio. Seeing how these museum resources can create meaningful, person-centred engagement for American audiences, and African-Americans in particular, has been very rewarding.”
Arts minister Michael Ellis says: "Dementia has become an increasingly pressing global issue, affecting tens of millions of people and their loved ones. As we continue to work hard on diagnosis rates, research and finding a cure, it is essential that we help those in need of our support to live well.
"The National Museums Liverpool’s House of Memories project has had a positive impact on the lives of many people affected by dementia in the UK. It is great news that it is expanding to help sufferers in the United States too and I wish the project in Minnesota the very best of luck."
Support for the US programme is provided by an Institute of Museum and Library Services planning grant and prestigious Community Anchors grant, and the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on 4 November 2008. Charter House at the Mayo Clinic, Rakhma Homes and St Paul African American Faith ACT Community are community partners on this programme.
