RAMM joins Exeter Dementia Action Alliance

Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum has joined Exeter Dementia Action Alliance.

Cllr Rosie Denham, Lead Councillor for Economy and Culture, said “We are proud to be part of this growing community of organisations. The Alliance shares the council’s aim of making Exeter a dementia-friendly city. The city’s museum is there for everyone and we value every visitor. Whatever your age, there’s always something to discover – about objects, about the world, about yourself, or the person with you.”

Gina Awad, leading Exeter Dementia Action Alliance (EDAA), said "We are gradually building up our members and to hear of RAMM’s inspirational work really does illustrate the museum’s commitment to people living with dementia and their carers in the city. RAMM’s approach recognises the power of 'being in the moment' with people living with dementia and the valuable contributions they can make to the rest of us.”

RAMM Community Participation Officer Ruth Gidley described the programme: “The museum is a place people can experience together, find something new to talk about, and get away from the burdens of daily life for a while. RAMM’s Living Each Season programme has helped to raise staff awareness so they can give visitors the support they need and our specially developed dementia-friendly activities are available for couples and groups. Inspired by a groundbreaking programme at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, they were developed with support from the Alzheimers Society, the NHS and Innovations in Dementia. We use the museum’s treasure trove of objects to provoke thoughts and spark conversations, whether it’s touching a 1,600-year-old Roman tile, standing next to a totem pole, taking a long look at a painting of Dartmoor, or making tropical butterflies.”

The Dementia Action Alliance is a movement working towards a society-wide response to dementia. It encourages and supports communities and organisations across England to take practical actions to enable people to live well with dementia and reduce the risk of costly crisis intervention. The Exeter Dementia Action Alliance was created in January and will be formally launched at RAMM on 18 November. For further information on the Exeter branch, visit the Dementia Action Alliance website.

Scheduled activities at RAMM for people with mild to moderate memory problems and their carers include an autumnal art-making workshop on Thursday 26 November and a tour of the Whatever the Weather exhibition on Thursday 10 December.