Azure
Dementia Friendly Tours of Cultural Institutions
Everyone is entitled to be an active cultural participant at all stages of life. Our aim is to make art galleries and museums around Ireland dementia-friendly spaces.
What is Azure ? 
Azure improves access for people with dementia-related conditions to Ireland’s galleries and museums and enhances their experience of these cultural institutions.
How does it work?
Azure tours give people living with dementia and those close to them the opportunity to visit museums and galleries together. While there, they can join others to share an experience facilitated by trained museum and gallery staff.
Azure originated through collaboration between Age & Opportunity; The Alzheimer Society of Ireland; the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny; and IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art). We work with these partners to train museum and gallery staff with the skills needed to deliver arts participation experiences for persons living with dementia.
The Azure network has now expanded to numerous arts venues nationwide.
How can I get involved?
There are two ways to get involved with Azure – as a curator in an arts venue or by participating in an Azure tour.
Age & Opportunity focuses on training curators and volunteers in cultural institutions to lead Azure tours. Please get in touch with us to find out more and book your place.
If you are interested in taking an Azure tour please contact one of our participating arts venues:
- Arts & Disability Forum, Northern Ireland
- Butler Gallery, Kilkenny
- Chester Beatty Library, Dublin
- Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
- DLR Lexicon, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Arts Office
- Galway Art Centre, Galway
- The Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda
- The Hunt Museum, Limerick
- Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Dublin
- The LAB, Dublin City Arts Office
- The Luan Gallery, Athlone
- The National Gallery of Art, Dublin
- West Cork Art Centre, Co. Cork
Contact
For information contact Fiona in our Engage Team via e-mail engage@ageandopportunity.ie or call 01 805 7798
What do people say about Azure?
Azure is about trying to create moments where, at least during the programme, people stop being ‘the person with dementia and their carer’ and, in some ways, go back to being husband and wife, mother and son, father and daughter, sister and brother. Programmes like this allow for that moment, and that is a real privilege to see.
Engage Initiatives:
Changing Gears
A five week course for people in mid-career or anticipating retirement. Changing Gears is about building resilience, taking stock, making changes, bouncing back and moving on in life. Find out more here.
AgeWise Workshops
Professionally facilitated workshops that raise awareness of positive ageing. Suitable for older persons’ groups; community, parish or library groups; and organisations and employers. Find out more here.
Ageing with Confidence
A five week course of two-hour sessions run weekly. Ageing with Confidence is for older people in local communities who wish to increase confidence, encourage reflection and share experiences. Find out more here.
Get Engaged
A training course for people aged 50+ that is designed to help make a difference within local organisations. It includes skills training on lobbying, research and working with the media and consists of two-hour sessions run weekly over four to six weeks. Find out more here.
Spirituality
Our five week, online Spirituality course invites participants to explore spirituality from the perspective of their life experience using art, music, poetry and story. Find out more here.
Bespoke Training
Bespoke training, advice and mentoring in the areas of arts, physical activity, active citizenship and lifelong learning. We can adapt and tailor one or more of our existing initiatives to suit your group or organisation’s needs. Find out more here.
Creative Exchanges
A training course for participants to plan and facilitate arts activities for older people in care settings. Find out more here.
Engage Initiatives:
Changing Gears
A five week course for people in mid-career or anticipating retirement. Changing Gears is about building resilience, taking stock, making changes, bouncing back and moving on in life. Find out more here.
AgeWise Workshops
Professionally facilitated workshops for employers and staff who are providing services to older people. These workshops are designed to create awareness of attitudes to ageing and older people. Find out more here.
Aging With Confidence
A six week course (over six half-days) for older people in local communities that is designed to increase confidence, encourage reflection and share experiences. Find out more here.
Get Engaged
An eight week (over eight half-days) training course for people aged 50+ that is designed to help make a difference within local organisations including skills on lobbying, research and working with the media. Find out more here.
Spirituality
Our five week, online Spirituality course invites participants to explore spirituality from the perspective of their life experience using art, music, poetry and story. Find out more here.
Bespoke Training
Bespoke training, advice and mentoring in the areas of arts, physical activity, active citizenship and lifelong learning. We can tailor a programme to your or your organisation’s needs. Find out more here.
Creative Exchanges
A training course for participants to plan and facilitate arts activities for older people in care settings. Find out more here.
People with intellectual disability Physical Activity Leaders
Enabling people with intellectual disability (ID) to become physical activity leaders. Find out more here.
Learning, education and engaging with your local community offers a number of benefits including
- happiness and empowerment
- mental wellbeing
- increased self-awareness and expression
- development of new skills and interests
- a sense of self control
- social connection
- reduced depression and anxiety
- reduced stress levels
- improved cognition
- a sense of identity and personhood
- increased self-esteem and confidence