ABSTRACT
Relatively few research-based models of older adults’ engagement with museums exist in the literature despite the aging populations of many museums’ communities. This chapter situates older adult audiences in the recent historical and current contexts of museum offerings and research. A specific museum outreach program facilitated in residential living communities is used as the lens to examine program implementation factors, salient program features, and research considerations for arts- and object-based museum programming for older adults. The author reflects on elements observed to affect the program’s implementation, including external, participant, and community staff factors. Audience responses to the program illuminate salient program features, including object handling, socialization opportunities, and novelty. The chapter also explores considerations for conducting research on older adults’ museum experiences based on the case study and the broader literature. The chapter concludes by presenting recommendations for future practice of and research on museum programming for older adults.
