Cognition, Care, and Cultural Place-Making: Narrative Responses Across Two Museum Settings

This study examined how two Thai museums—the National Science Museum (NSM) and Museum Siam—function as therapeutic places that activate autobiographical and embodied memory, supporting emotional well-being and intergenerational connection. Sixty-four participants (32 older adults and 32 caregivers) engaged in a photo-elicitation protocol, photographing exhibits and narrating reflections. Thematic analysis identified four recurring themes: Cultural Anchoring, Civic Consciousness, Nostalgia of Childhood, and Intergenerational Affection. At the NSM, participants without mild cognitive impairment or depressive symptoms expressed broader thematic diversity, including future-oriented reflections, whereas those with cognitive impairment or depression engaged more narrowly with health literacy and family-related themes. At Museum Siam, dyadic analysis highlighted both congruent and divergent storytelling, with differences enriching intergenerational remembering rather than producing conflict. Emotional expressions such as gratitude, nostalgia, and pride demonstrated how museums serve as relational spaces of memory, empathy, and shared reflection. Findings position museums as culturally grounded infrastructures for social prescribing, fostering resilience, autobiographical memory, and intergenerational solidarity within ageing societies.