UC Botanical Garden and Science Museum are founding members of the national network "Museums for Inclusion in Dementia"
The initiative wants to improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their caregivers.
English version: Diana Taborda
The Botanical Garden and the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra, along with ten other national entities, have created the national informal network Museums for Inclusion in Dementia (MiD).
The network aims to contribute to increasing the autonomy, well-being, dignity, social and cultural involvement and quality of life of people with dementia and their caregivers. MiD also intends to raise awareness among cultural institutions' teams of the need to create tailor-made responses for people with dementia and their carers, as well as to empower these teams as true agents of change, so as to contribute to a more inclusive society and reduce the stigma against dementia.
In Portugal, museum offers designed specifically for people with dementia and their care providers are scarce. Therefore, the creation of a national network of museums for inclusion in dementia was deemed essential to develop and share good practices, prepare cultural institutions' teams, and raise community awareness of the subject of dementia, which is an increasingly relevant social and public health issue.
More information about MiD, as well as the full list of its founding members, is available here.