The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra hopes to stimulate the senses of people living with the debilitating condition.

The National Portrait Gallery in Canberra will offer a newly developed tour aimed at people living with dementia. The specially curated Art and Dementia tour focuses on portraits of famous Australian musicians, composers, actors, and other high profile figures. Of the 274 portraits on display at the gallery, these tours will focus on just three or four, and will include a musical component as well as other sensory accompaniments such as fabric swatches.

The philosophy of the tour is multifaceted: dementia can be very isolating, so the tour offers an opportunity for those with dementia to connect with other people also living with the condition. The tour also aims to stimulate the senses and engage gallery visitors with dementia in discussions about the various Australian luminaries. “Looking at artworks evokes people’s memories and helps them to share their own stories,” said Visitor Services Coordinator Pauline McCreath.

The portraits included on the tour have been carefully chosen, and are among the galleries more figurative paintings, depicting subjects in easily recognisable, everyday scenes. By evoking memories and encouraging...