Ideally the person living with dementia contributes to the box, as well as care staff and or family members. Working together to create something really personal and meaningful.

Our product is of high quality and includes an internal amp and speaker, so that the Music Memory Box has great volume, but also quality.

On the front of the box there’s a volume dial to control the sound, a play all/shuffle button and a headphone jack if someone wants to listen through headphones.

The music is uploaded via a memory stick. When the memory stick is inserted the box then talks to you with simple audio instructions leading you through the process.

1. Firstly you set up the memory stick by inserting it into your computer and creating a ‘musicmemorybox’ folder with an ‘add’ folder inside
2. Then you add your audio files to the ‘add’ folder
3. And finally you plug the memory stick into the back of your Music Memory Box
4. A message will play once it’s finished copying all the music across
5. You can then remove the memory stick and all your music will be inside the box

The most effective form of reminiscence is personal and multi-sensory. By Music Memory Box coming as a kit that you fill with objects and music, you can create the most personalised and therefore effective reminiscence tool out there.

We need to pre -sell some of the first batch of products to show the demand for the product, and to get our early customers on board.

Studio Meineck created this product the social design studio – you can read more about them here.

Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of progressive conditions that affect the brain. There are over 200 subtypes of dementia, but the five most common are: Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia. Key symptoms could be: forgetfulness in short term memory, change in mood, depression and communication difficulties. For more information head over to Alzheimer’s Society UK

No dementia product will ever say it can help every single person living with dementia, as dementia affects people differently. For some people it is the objects that are important, some the photos, some the music, but it works best when all come together to help the reminiscence.

People have had benefit from the product at all stages of dementia – early, mid and late. We think the ideal use is to fill the box at the early stages of dementia with family members and carers, as memories are fluid and lively. It is a tool to build that can help both the person living with dementia and the family through the stages of dementia.

Aggression, anxiety, boredom, confusion, depression, forgetfulness, independence, isolation, loneliness, sadness, self-identity and self worth.

Reminiscence is a term used in dementia care that can help people living with dementia, by going back to earlier memories from childhood or early adult years, where the memories are likely to be stored in the areas of the brain less affected by dementia, therefore the links to these memories are more solid. Going back in time with your parent, loved one can be a really enjoyable experience for all parties involved. It is less about updating your loved one with what year it is now, and more about supporting the person in whichever time period they are in. The Music Memory Box allows multiple different time periods in reminiscence, as photos from different times can support the person, as well as key pieces of music from different times too.

There are many support organisations and charities to help support you, including Alzheimer’s Society you can find what support is near you here. Local memory cafes can be particularly helpful for both the person living with dementia and the carer.

US based support organisation: Alz.org

If your question isn’t answered above please email: info@studiomeineck.com

Make sure the volume on the box is turned up enough for you to hear. Turn the volume knob on the front of the box to the right, all the way or just enough for you to hear.

If it still doesn’t work try turning the box on and off again.

Firstly make sure you are holding the sticker close to the reader in the centre of the box.

If a prompt plays that says “no music is attached to this object” you need to enter user mode and add a song to that object. If you need help with that see number 19 below or page 26 in your guidebook.

If there is music attached and it is still not playing check if you are in “play mode” rather than “user mode” – this will be shown by the light on the front of the box.

Blue light = user mode

Green light = play mode

Red light = system busy

If the blue light is showing you need to exit user mode. To do this hold the square (+) and round (-) buttons for 5 seconds until the lights change to green on the front and back of the box.

Now try swiping your object again.

If this doesn’t work, turn the box off and on again by removing the power, waiting for 5-10 minutes and then plugging it back in.

If the box does not register this or any other objects please get in touch with us to troubleshoot.

1. Enter User Mode by selecting the square (+) and round (-) buttons on the back of the box for 5 seconds until the light changes to blue.
2. If you have already added music to the box from your memory stick you can now begin pairing. If not see section 21 here or page 23 in your guidebook for help.
3. Add one sticker to one object.
4. Use the < and > buttons to navigate between songs until you find the one you’d like to pair with this object.
5. Once this song is playing, swipe your chosen object on the centre of the box. The song should restart so you know it has been matched successfully.
6. You can now repeat this process with all of your objects.
7. Once you’re done pairing, simply press and hold the square (+) and round (-) buttons for 5 seconds until the light returns to green.
8. Your box is now back in play mode and ready to play your music.

If you have already matched a song to an object but you want to swap out either and rematch you can do so at any time.

1. Firstly press and hold the square (+) and round (-) buttons on the back of the box until the light shows as blue and you have entered user mode
2. Then swipe the object you’d like to unmatch
3. An audio prompt will play confirming the audio has been unmatched
4. You can then either rematch with another piece of audio (see step 19) or exit user mode by pressing and holding the square (+) and round (-) buttons again until the light returns to green

Your Music Memory Box comes with a memory stick that has already been set up with the folders you need. All you need to do is add individual audio files of the songs you want to use in your box.

Audio files can be sourced from CD (saved to your computer), a music library (e.g. iTunes, Windows Media Player etc.) or purchased online. There are also websites that offer free digital music file downloads (like www.mp3jam.org).

Make sure that any music is purchased and paid from through iTunes, or Amazon etc. not just downloaded to stream. You should be able to drag and drop any purchased music file from your music library to your desktop or straight into the folder on your memory stick.

Useful Google Searches

• Where to purchase audio files
• How to import CD files to your computer
• How to get audio files from iTunes/Amazon/etc.
• How to check the formation of an audio file

Once you have these ready you simply plug the memory stick into your computer and drag the files into the ‘add’ folder on the memory stick.

Then to add the audio to your Music Memory Box

1. First enter user mode by pressing and holding the square (+) and round (-) buttons until the light changes to blue
2. Then insert the memory stick into the port on the back of the box
3. Whilst copying the files across the light will change to red, it’s important the memory stick is not tampered with or removed during this time
4. Once copied across a voice will let you know it’s finished
5. You can then remove the memory stick and follow step 19 in how to add music to your objects
6. Or exit user mode by pressing and holding the square (+) and round (-) buttons until the light changes to green

Just unplug the cable from the back of the box or turn off at the mains.