In order to nurture living and ageing well, museums need to fundamentally rethink their perceptions and expectations of older people. Instead of seeing older people as an identifiable group, through the lens of the deficit model, or from the perspective of the museum’s needs, our understanding could instead shaped by an understanding of a range of factors including:

New model for ageing (PDF)

By focusing on the needs of older people, as individuals with agency, museums can start to think more broadly about what they might offer this diverse audience.

How can museums use their collections to (following the advice of Claire Keatinge, active ageing specialist) inspire, include and bring joy?