
Dementia Action Week: Using digital heritage resources to stimulate reminiscence
The Royal Commission continues to promote its resources to stimulate reminiscence. This work has grown out of an event held in 2017 at the Royal Commission in partnership with Aberystwyth University School of Art. This event explored how archives can be used as a source of material to create activities, stories and artworks to help stimulate reminiscence for people living with dementia.
Our records

The Royal Commission’s archive, the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW), holds countless treasures. Because our archive contains many images that show where people may have lived, worked, played, married or worshipped, it is very relevant to those who want to reminisce. This is enhanced by the fact that a large number of the photographs in our archive come from the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s – in other words, the period within living memory.
The NMRW is available for consultation via the online database, Coflein.
To see a small selection of images which are available on Coflein, have a look at our ‘Memory Archive’ gallery: https://coflein.gov.uk/en/gallery/memoryarchive
People’s Collection Wales: ‘Memory Archive’
‘Memory Archive’ is a People’s Collection Wales initiative, led by the Royal Commission. It is a curated account, aimed at facilitating reminiscence work with people living with dementia. Collections are divided into relevant themes and decades (within living memory), based on feedback received from healthcare professionals.

As part of the People’s Collection Wales partnership, we will be working closely together with the National Library of Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales to develop this work further.
Find us (www.peoplescollection.wales/users/29941) or search for ‘Memory Archive’ and filter on ‘Collections’.
23/05/2019