MeWell Talks Episode #1 | Working with Dementia in Cultural Mediation with Nina Mayer
In this short video, cultural mediator Nina Mayer shares her approach to working with people living with dementia through multisensory cultural mediation.
The session demonstrates how simple yet thoughtful methods—such as starting with everyday objects, engaging multiple senses, and creating a calm, respectful atmosphere—can open meaningful opportunities for participation, expression, and connection.
Rather than focusing on limitations, this approach emphasizes presence, lived experience, and human dignity. Participants are invited to explore artworks together through touch, sound, smell, and personal associations, while facilitators guide the process without judgment or predefined expectations.
What you will learn
- How sensory objects can support trust and engagement
- Why multisensory approaches enable participation beyond verbal communication
- The importance of slowness, atmosphere, and emotional safety
- How art-based dialogue removes the pressure of “right” and “wrong”
- The role of non-verbal expression (e.g. clay, drawing) in inclusive practice
- Why the facilitator is part of the group, not positioned above it
This resource offers practical insights for cultural mediators, educators, and practitioners working in inclusive, care, or community contexts. It shows how art can become a shared space for connection, openness, and mutual learning.
🌐 Learn more about Nina Mayer’s work: https://www.nina-mayer.at/
Cultural Mediation in Question: Cristina da Milano on Practice and Precarity
Resource: MuseumMediatorsEU
This video features an interview recorded during the Lisbon Meeting in November 2012 as part of the Museum Mediators Europe project. Conducted by external evaluator Joaquim Jorge, the conversation with Cristina da Milano offers a critical reflection on the professional realities of museum educators and cultural mediators.
Educating the Cultural Mediator in Europe ESΙ CM Conference 2014
Resource: DAISSy Research Group
This video presents insights from the International Conference “Enhancing the Skills and Identity of a Cultural Mediator in a Multicultural Europe” (ESI-CM 2014), held at the Hellenic Open University in Patras, Greece.
