Alistair Hardaker
Image: © Alexandra Corneanu - National Army Museum
Two national museums create digital resource using collection objects to support veterans living with dementia and their families.
The National Army Museum and House of Memories, National Museums Liverpool’s dementia awareness programme, have launched a partnership initiative to support veterans living with dementia through museum collections.
Memories of a Soldier is a new app package featuring nearly 100 objects and images from the National Army Museum’s collection.
The digital resource uses familiar military items to prompt memories and conversations between veterans living with dementia and their families. Objects include webbing, roll mats, boot brushes and rifle cleaning kits.
Lizzie Ward, programme manager at House of Memories, said: “Working in partnership with the National Army Museum, we have been able to create an app package that covers a wide range of military events, equipment and much more.
Through this app package and alongside our in-museum training sessions, we hope to spread dementia awareness across the armed forces sector, to support veterans living with dementia and their loved ones.”
The objects were selected to evoke personal memories of service, from boot polishing and physical training to making tea in the field.
Mel O’Brien-Price, curator at the National Army Museum, added: “When selecting objects for the app, we wanted to ensure they would resonate with most soldiers, no matter their regiment or length of service. Though some items may seem mundane, they were part of daily life and hold great power to help veterans recall their experiences and to inspire conversations between them, their families, and carers.”
The app is funded by the Veterans Foundation and is free to download on Apple and Android devices. House of Memories has trained more than 12,500 caregivers since 2012 and has won multiple awards including the Museums Association’s Exceptional Achievement Award in 2018.
