The webinar examines the potential of reinventing museums through the role they can have in physical and mental wellbeing. The prevalence of mental and physical chronic diseases is increasing globally. In addition, the changing demographics towards an aging population pose a challenge to health care systems since aging is associated with a decrease in physical and mental capacity and an increased risk of developing disease. Museums may be integrated into the lifestyle of patients suffering from chronic conditions due to their value in offering non-pharmacological therapeutic methods to improve the patient’s experience with disease. The interactive environment of museums may have positive health outcomes not only for patients with chronic diseases but also for improving the physical and mental wellbeing of elderly and younger populations. This webinar explores recent literature investigating the effects of art-based museum interventions on (a) patients with chronic diagnoses associated with mental health and/or physical impairment such as dementia, drug addiction and cancer, (b) hospitalised patients and (b) the wellbeing of young and elderly populations.  During the webinar recent studies will be discussed which provide evidence that museum art-based interventions may be integrated as part of the non-pharmacological management of patients suffering from chronic disorders and hospitalised patients as well as for improving the wellbeing of younger and elderly populations.

ReinHerit Webinars are aimed at cultural heritage professionals. They will consist of a how to guide for small and medium-sized museum and cultural heritage organizations that documents processes, provides instruction, technical requirements and best practices for co-creation and collaboration between museums and cultural heritage institutions.

The Webinars are organised in the context of the Horizon2020 ReInHerit project, that aspires to disrupt the current status quo of communication, collaboration and innovation exchange between museums and cultural heritage sites, in a sense that it will connect cultural heritage collections and sites, and present Europe’s tangible and intangible heritage to citizens and tourists in their wider historical and geographical contexts. The ReInHerit project is proposing an innovative model of sustainable heritage management, through which a dynamic network will be born; this network comprises cultural heritage professionals, innovation and cultural heritage solution tech experts, researchers, national museums, regional and local museums, and representative managers of Heritage Label sites.