How London’s cultural venues are becoming more accessible to those living with dementia
We know how important it is for people living with dementia to be able to continue doing the things they love, including getting out and about enjoying arts and creative activities.
In 2021, Mayor of London launched the Dementia Friendly Venues Charter, developed with Alzheimer’s Society and Museum of London. The aim of this charter is to ensure that people living with dementia can fully access London’s cultural offer.
Since then, a self-accreditation process has been created. This has enabled London’s cultural venues – from libraries to museums, community centres and cinemas – to improve their access provision for people living with dementia and their carers.
This month, we’re celebrating over 100 cultural venues accrediting via our charter! These include local libraries, cinemas and places of worship. As well as world-renowned venues such as Museum of London Docklands, Royal Albert Hall, Saatchi Gallery, Sadler’s Wells, the Science Museum and the V&A.
We're determined for London to be a truly dementia friendly city, which means ensuring people with dementia can get around London safely, easily access healthcare and continue to do the things they’ve done all their lives. By working with the People’s Panel, we’ve been able to implement the Dementia Friendly Venues Charter, improving the access and experiences of people with dementia to 100 leading cultural venues in the capital. I’m proud of the difference we’ve made, empowering those with dementia and building a more inclusive London for everyone.
Self-accreditation made easy
In a recent survey to accredited venues, all respondents said they’d recommend other venues to start the accreditation process.
The dedicated digital portal is easy to use by design, guiding venues through four sections of questions:
- Increasing understanding: develop your knowledge and understanding and improve the awareness of your staff.
- Being Inclusive: create more opportunities to engage users with your venue and work.
- Being Accessible: become a more welcoming venue and improve the experience of your visitors.
- Communicating Clearly: support new audience members with videos and better information for their visit.
The Charter gave us support to encourage more staff to become dementia-aware.
Venues can identify the things they already do that are dementia-friendly and map clear steps to improve their provision. The process demystifies the notion that becoming a dementia-friendly building is complicated. Venues have felt empowered and supported in adapting what they do on a scale that is relevant to their capacities and their visitors.
The Charter gave us confidence.
Improving access provision
Venues found the accreditation process supported them to improve access for people living with dementia.
Thanks to the accreditation, we are introducing Dementia Friends and wider awareness in the organisation. We are revisiting our current online systems and access with a fresh perspective, and incorporating direct feedback from our members living with Dementia and their family members.
It's all part of a process. We have a great accessible venue, but have recently improved signage to make it pictural, added coloured toilet seats for contrast, and changed the layout of our notice boards. We're always looking for new ways we can make our venue more inclusive.
We're making different choices now when looking at simple things such as taps, or door handles, or mirrors, lighting and bright spaces. I wish we'd done the accreditation sooner!
Making new connections
The Charter and its accreditation process give venues the agency to reach out to new audiences to tell those living with dementia they are welcome. Local dementia action alliances, memory clinics and social prescribers play a key role in connecting people with opportunities that can become important parts of their wellbeing journey.
Becoming accredited has enabled venues to gain more recognition for their work towards better access and inclusion. Several venues were also successful in securing funding for dementia-specific programming.
I can use the accreditation and the kudos that it gives our organisation to justify expenditure and expanding our offer to other sites.
Dementia Friendly Venues Charter played a key role in building confidence and aspiration in our team to apply for funding to launch a new arts and heritage project, with a focus on engaging people living with dementia – and we were successful!
Learn more about the charter
Why stop at 100? Curious about the accreditation process?
Join us for an informal and friendly online meeting to find out more about the charter and how we can support your venue on its accreditation journey.
The next scheduled sessions are:
- 26 March 12:30pm - 1:30pm - register for the event
- 16 May 4pm - 5pm - register for the event
Front entrance of The Kiln in Kilburn, with the Dementia Friendly Venues logo displayed.