About Small Acts of Love 

"Love is a skill – not just an emotion or feeling … one of our gravest errors around relationships is to imagine that there aren’t things we can get wiser or better at … we must study love the way we study anything else that matters." Alain de Botton

Small Acts of Love recognises that beyond romanticised ideals of love there are skills that can help us to renegotiate relationships and rebuild connections when someone we love has dementia. These actions to renegotiate and rebuild are Small Acts of Love. Love matters in the lives of people with dementia – and so, as Alain de Botton said, we must study it.

The Small Acts of Love project centres around workshops for people living with dementia, carers and those they love. Workshop participants explore the importance of love in the lives of people living with dementia, the love changes and challenges and their strategies to get through the challenges. ​​

How to participate

A #SmallActsOfLove Facilitator's Kit has been developed for service providers, groups and community leaders who want to host a #SmallActsOfLove workshop. The Kit includes a 12 month license, step by step instructions, downloadable resources, ppt and videos - all the resources needed to host a workshop. For a detailed overview of the Kit, click (link coming soon). A small licensing fee helps Celebrate Ageing Ltd (a charity) cover the cost of developing and maintaining this and other Museum of Love Kits. ​

Small Acts of Love, Geelong 

We are honoured to have had the opportunity to work with the Australian Multicultural Community Service’s Dementia Care and Support Centre in Geelong - to host a Small Acts of Love project in Geelong.

Small Acts of Love, Perth

For more information on this workshop, please check the LoveFest Perth webpage here. ​ During LoveFest we documented stories about Small Acts of Love on a pieces of paper attached to balloons. We then invited participants to interact with the installation, or move through the balloons and read the stories. Photos by Lisa White, The Social Photographer.   

Reflections on Small Acts of Love 

We are very grateful to delegates from the inagurual Dementia and Love event for their reflections on Small Acts of Love. Thankyou to Mary Wickham, Geradine Cooney and Mary-Faeth Chenery for your permission to share these.

Reflections on the Symposium by Mercy Nun/Poet Mary Wickham

Reflections on the Symposium by Mercy Nun Geradine Cooney

Reflections on the Symposium by Mary-Faeth Chenery

The Book 

We are still working on that book, on Small Acts of Love and hope to launch it in 2027 - the 10 year anniversary of the Museum of Love. 

More info

If you would like more information on Small Acts of Love please contact Museum Curator Dr Catherine Barrett.