The Memorable project was launched in January 2025 in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is an Erasmus+ initiative led by a consortium of five organisations: Alzheimer Bulgaria Association (coordinator), SHINE 2Europe (Portugal), AFEdemy – Age-Friendly Environments Academy (Netherlands), ISIS Institut für Soziale Infrastruktur (Germany), and Dublin City University (Ireland).
The project aims to connect people living with dementia to their communities through arts and culture, highlighting cultural activities’ potential to support emotional well-being, social connection, and a sense of identity.
The first step towards achieving the project’s goals was the development of the European Compendium of Dementia-Friendly Cultural Practices, which explores how art-based and cultural activities can be beneficial for people living with dementia. The research adopted a qualitative, exploratory design combining desk research (reviewing academic literature, policy documents, and project reports) with in-person stakeholder interviews involving people with dementia, informal and formal caregivers, and cultural professionals. Drawing on findings from Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal, the publication examines both the benefits and the challenges of cultural participation.
The findings highlight significant emotional, cognitive, and social benefits. Cultural activities provide alternative forms of communication and self-expression, particularly as verbal abilities decline. Participation supports identity preservation, fosters continuity between past and present experiences, and strengthens social inclusion by reducing isolation and building meaningful connections. The compendium also reviews the current state of dementia-friendly cultural institutions and relevant national and regional policies, presenting best practice examples from across Europe.
A key conclusion is that successful cultural participation requires person-centred, flexible, and inclusive approaches. Sustainable progress depends on integrating arts and culture into health and cultural policy frameworks, ensuring accessible spaces, offering targeted professional training, and securing stable financial support.
The compendium is available in English, as well as all partner country languages, on the project website. There you can also find the National reports of each partner country.
The next important step in the project is the development of a curriculum on dementia-friendly cultural spaces, as well as an E-Learning platform for cultural professionals. Find out more and stay up to date on the latest developments: https://memorable-project.eu/
