Personalized Music Memory Box for People with Dementia

October 4, 2012 udcom

Chloe Meineck designed this Music Memory Box after studying the way that familiar music can help people with dementia connect with memories of their past. Meineck worked closely with her client, Barbara, to find and produce various objects that Barbara can associate with specific memories of different family members. Each object is outfitted with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, so that when an object is placed in the center of the box a corresponding piece of music automatically begins to play.

Universal Design (UD) is an approach to design that increases the potential for developing a better quality of life for a wide range of individuals. It is a design process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). It creates products, systems, and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.