Bags that bring back memories

Through various projects, the Kalmar county museum has seen what a strength it is for older people to remember through clothes and objects. In this project, we want to put the objects in focus. In the past, through various projects, the museum has acquired so-called souvenir bags for two of the county's municipalities (Kalmar and Mönsterås). In these there are objects linked to particular decades or activities.

In this project we will do two things:

• Create a bag for each of the remaining 10 municipalities in Kalmar County.
• Visit homes for the elderly and carry out activities with the bags in all the county's 12 municipalities.

The project includes the Kalmar county museum bringing out period props and historical facts for the so-called souvenir bags. Afterwards, staff from the Kalmar county museum visit a residence in each municipality to work with the material with the elderly. The objects are connected to the lives of the elderly and bring memories to life. During the meeting, we talk about the memories that are evoked and listen to the stories of the elderly. 

The ambition with this project is not only to give the elderly a golden edge in everyday life on one occasion, but also to inspire the staff to use the bag/method on more occasions in the business after the end of the project

Project owner

Kalmar County Museum

The period of the project

1 January 2023 – 30 November 2023

Financier

The project can be implemented thanks to funds from the Irene & Bo Adolfsson foundation