Museum In Your Care Home: Fused Glass Memories

Museums across the Tees Valley have been working with care home residents and care providers to develop multi-sensory resources and change the way museums in the Tees Valley engage with their older audiences.

Tees Valley Museums have been using objects and stories from the collections across the Tees Valley to give older people a voice within society and greater ownership over their own history.

Older people, particularly those living in care homes, are often isolated and sometimes even forgotten about so we have involved them in gathering missing stories and memories about the history of the area, their experiences growing up, living and working in the area. These stories and memories have become important parts of exhibitions across our museums.

Part of this campaign involved care homes borrowing loans boxes to create an actual ‘Museum in Your Care Home’. This involves a member of staff visiting the residents to talk about and let them hold and explore the objects. These are then left with the home who display them as their own ‘museum’.

Having the objects in the care home gave the residents a stimulus, a new topic of conversation between themselves and visitors. This led to them building friendships within the home, with many residents stopping to chat to each other in the corridor, something they had never done before. It was found to be especially beneficial to those with dementia. The items on display were of interest each time these residents entered the room, and although they were having similar discussions each day, the care home staff noticed an increase in engagement while the objects were there.

An assortment of war memorabilia, including a soldiers' uniform on the right with a Union Flag behind and other items on the floor in front

Items borrowed by the care home as part of their Remembrance display. These items gave the residents lots of things to talk and reminisce about with each other.

Developing on from this engagement, the residents took part in six weeks of sessions creating fused glass pieces to display in the unused covid pod that also doubled up as their ‘museum’.

Images from the collection were used to inspire residents to talk about growing up and living in the area. From this they created simple fused glass artworks to represent their stories. These conversations led to stories being told about travelling to Australia and being a £10 pom to spontaneous group singing after discussions about colour led to them talking about how much they missed being outside and feeling the warmth of the sun. One non-verbal resident shocked the staff when she exclaimed “That’s our Benji” after looking at dogs on paintings.

The sessions reduced isolation, improved mood, reduced anxiety and developed relationships between care staff and residents “we found out things about them we didn’t know which means we can personalise their care more to their interests and past lives.”

An older lady in a blue jacket sits in front of her almost completed image of a flower, made out of pieces of glass.

Residents were pleased with their artwork.

Two arched windows in a patio door overlooking a garden with a tree. On each window hangs three finished pieces of fused glass artwork.

Some of the finished pieces created by the artist who was inspired by the residents' memories.

An older lady in a wheelchair has a red tray on her knee. She is gluing pieces of coloured glass to a clear glass background to create her artwork..

Residents created their artwork after talking about growing up and living in the Tees Valley.

Two arched windows in look out onto a green hedge. Hanging in the windows are square pieces of fused glass artwork.

Some of the finished pieces created by the residents.