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Ruth leads on the Age Well project and on museum relationships with older people in supported settings and those living with a dementia diagnosis; people who are blind and partially sighted; and those living with chronic health conditions.
She is also associate researcher & CPD programme manager for A New Direction and a Moderator – Arts Award, Facilitator & Consultant.
Museums have long understood their strength as social spaces and places that contain ‘things that matter’, but how can this reach those experiencing loneliness and isolation? As loneliness is increasingly recognised as a social challenge, how can museums contribute to making a difference? This session explores the potential for museums to contribute to tackling loneliness, particularly in older people, focusing on a series of programmes at the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) – and considers what we learnt from finding new ways to continue connecting people when COVID meant we could no longer bring people together in our museums, and what we can build on as we consider the future of our work with older people.