ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the study of a reminiscence museum that is based on a care home for the elderly on the outskirts of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The reminiscence museum consists of a series of specially constructed rooms built in the basement of the care home. The museum has amassed a huge range of artefacts, ranging from period furniture, decorations and clothing to kitchen equipment and toys. The reminiscence museum draws upon techniques that have been developed in the now well-established practice of reminiscence therapy with older people. This is a therapeutic intervention that is designed to facilitate recollection by inviting participants to interact with objects, photographs or music. The chapter offers a small, partial tour around the reminiscence museum, and explores the challenges of inviting good and bad memories. It explores the tour with photographs of the museum and with snippets of material taken from visits by elderly people.
