Museums discuss empowering elders

The state-run National Folk Museum Korea convened an international symposium to discuss ways to help older adults engage with society as concerns over an aging population rise.

The Role of Museums in An Aging Society one-day conference in Seoul on Tuesday was attended by officials from National Museums Liverpool, the National Museum of Finland and the National Museum of Singapore, as well as local academics and researchers.

“Korea is anticipated to transition into an ultra-aged society by 2025,” said Jang Sang-hoon, director general of the NFMK. Western museums, Jang added, are ahead in using museum resources to help people aged 65 and over stave off cognitive decline and stay connected with society.

Carol Rogers, director of House of Memories, a program at National Museums Liverpool that addresses cognitive impairment, highlighted the program’s success. An app called My House of Memories, which has had more than 40,000 downloads, showcases not only museum collections, but community objects as well.

“We’re giving elders connections to memories that may give them a sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. It links them with younger members of their family,” Carol said.

“I think if you feel valued and involved in life and society, you live a better older life and you’re healthier in body and in mind.”

Hanna Forssell, head of public programs at the National Museum of Finland, elaborated on digital outreach to seniors.

“The National Museum collaborates with the Home TV channel to offer elderly people the chance to access museum content via television. The channel features remote guide tours and lectures filmed at various National Museum locations,” Hanna said.

“Retirees are not only an important target group for various museum services, but also active participants and influencers, serving as performers and volunteers, for example,” she added.

Setting up places for seniors to socialize within museums is not just a theory, according to May Khuen Chung, director of the National Museum of Singapore.

“The museum as a social place can offer engaging activities to help maintain cognitive and social functioning abilities,” Chung said.

The kind of help museums could provide, Chung noted, would be different from that given by professional medical support. “We all have our separate roles,” Chung added.

Yi Eun-mi, a senior curator at the National Folk Museum of Korea, said over 60 percent of participants in public programs hosted by the museum are 50 and older.

“What we need more now is focus on our specialty,” Yi said. "We will have to develop programs that capture the unique nature of museums dealing with folk and living history.”