MESOC Serapeum | Where culture meets AI

Id		716
Author		Todd C., Camic P.M., Lockyer B., Thomson L.J.M., Chatterjee H.J.
Title		Museum-based programs for socially isolated older adults: Understanding what works
Reference		Todd C., Camic P.M., Lockyer B., Thomson L.J.M., Chatterjee H.J.; Museum-based programs for socially isolated older adults: Understanding what works ;Health and Place vol:48 issue: page:47.0
Link to article		https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85029494657&doi=10.1016%2fj.healthplace.2017.08.005&partnerID=40&md5=2f4f2d040e27d2a0773ac5d7522818c5
Abstract		This paper presents research findings that help to understand how museum programs created opportunities to enhance wellbeing and health, and changed experiences of social isolation in older adults. The research conceptualized how program elements enabled both individual experiences and relational processes to occur. These components operated within a context that was enriched by the museum as a place to support wellbeing and enhance social interaction. To meaningfully support socially isolated older people as part of local public health strategies, museums need to be accessible and engaging places that purposively support social interaction by involving people and objects, participating in multiple sessions over time, that are facilitated by skilled and knowledgeable staff. © 2017 The Authors

Results:

Candidate transition variables
Social engagement This was a process of building relationships and meaningful connections which in turn increased engagement in the program, It made me feel less lonely. .
For example, the various program components enabled learning, connection, activity, opportunities to engage with others, and shared experiences to occur. .
People left their homes and became more active: I think it's walking about, getting there, the journey as a way of keeping healthy, exercising, doing stairs. .
These components operated within a context that was enriched by the museum as a place to support wellbeing and enhance social interaction. .
The present study sought to understand, how museum-based social prescribing programs reduced social isolation for older people, by determining the specific elements and processes involved, and how these interacted to create a social and physical environment that enhanced psychological wellbeing. .
Museum as a positive enabler Museum programs within a welcoming and stimulating place enabled new experiences, relational processes and individual journeys; the facilitator, physical space and activities were all contributors in this process. .
To meaningfully support socially isolated older people as part of local public health strategies, museums need to be accessible and engaging places that purposively support social interaction by involving people and objects, participating in multiple sessions over time, that are facilitated by skilled and knowledgeable staff. .
Relational processes The programs were aimed at people who were socially isolated and as such, the extent to which museums create opportunities for social interactions and relationship building is pivotal. .
Along with considerations for place and length of time, the role of the facilitator as museum expert and as a socially engaging and welcoming person, was seen to be essential. .
Longer term museum programs, such as those employed in the current study, can contribute to initiating and developing friendships. .
Similarly, by utilizing follow-up interviews there was a sense participants reflected on their experiences and consolidated their experiences and learning, often by sharing the knowledge with others; this also provided information about contact between participants, and how the museum experience enabled subsequent connections and activities elsewhere over time. .
Perhaps social programs such as those in museums will initially appeal to people with a stronger sense of self and existing social networks. .
Interacting social context Museums provided a background context in which programs operated, influencing group experience and enhancing the potential for change. .
For museums to meaningfully support socially isolated older people, and to offer programs that can usefully be part of local public health strategies, the museum as a social place of interaction involving people and objects, needs to be considered. .
Facilitator training needs to take this into consideration if museums plan to offer programs that address substantive social and health issues. .
6. Conclusion This study aimed to explore how museum programs created opportunities for social inclusion and wellbeing in socially isolated older people. .
However, for those who felt the museum program provided a new or missing social resource that was personally and emotionally meaningful, relationships created in this context were more likely to be experienced as valued, along with the physical place of the museum. .
Trying to spread the word and engage other older people is another way the sharing process provided opportunities for connection. .
Sharing even small experiences with others can help build self-esteem and encourage further social interactions. .
With the link between wellbeing, social inclusion and physical health being widely accepted, this research makes a contribution by identifying how such schemes are beneficial. .
The social context enabled participants to both approach and engage with the museum program; the program in turn fed back into this process to create change. .
These responses highlight the accessibility and inclusivity of museum programs for those with health limitations and the motivational influence it had in creating an alternative to an illness narrative. .
Conversely, participants who were keen to connect with new people saw the programs as an opportunity and resource to do so. .
Rejecting the social experience could be a barrier to connection, increasing the likelihood of isolation. .
Being shy or anxious about socializing, one factor in social isolation, or skeptical, might lead someone to hold back and not engage more fully. .

ARTICLE - CANDIDATE TRANSITION VARIABLES

Results: