As part of World Alzheimer’s Month 2025, Lithuania marked the occasion with a special event in Kaunas, bringing together cultural and health professionals, caregivers, and community members to discuss how museums can play a role in supporting people who have dementia and their families. On 26 September, the Kaunas Biennale, in partnership with Dementia Lithuania and accessible arts organization “Socialiniai Meno Projektai”, hosted a public discussion titled “When a Museum becomes a Social Actor: TADAM – Dementia-Friendly Museum Network.”
The event took place within the Biennale’s programme Life After Life and highlighted the emerging initiative TADAM, a network of dementia-friendly museums currently being formed in partnership with the National Art Museum of Lithuania, the National Museum of Lithuania, and the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum. Moderated by Ieva Petkutė (pictured, far right), President of Dementia Lithuania, the panel featured voices from psychology, museum education, academia, and lived experience of caregiving. Speakers explored how museums can become spaces that foster inclusion, well-being, and community health, as well as the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration between cultural institutions, health care, and social services.
The discussion also showcased insights from the participatory artistic research project “You Won’t Understand Unless You’ve Experienced It”, which reflects on the challenges and risks faced by people living with dementia and their caregivers. The TADAM network aims to strengthen museum professionals’ competences, implement accessibility standards, encourage innovative approaches to exhibitions and education, and create opportunities for research, knowledge exchange, and international cooperation. By opening up cultural spaces to people who have dementia, the initiative seeks to build social value and enhance community well-being. This event illustrates how World Alzheimer’s Month continues to inspire creative, cross-sectoral actions across Europe to raise awareness and promote dementia-inclusive community practices.