Why We Created the Custom Curiosity Box

When we created the original Curiosity Box, we wanted to offer something for people living with later-stage dementia that did not depend on following instructions, remembering rules or completing a task. Its contents were chosen to invite interest, exploration and connection without placing pressure on the person to respond in a particular way.

That box is now DSDC accredited and remains available as a complete, ready-to-use collection. However, the more we thought about it, the more obvious something became: no fixed collection of objects can be equally interesting or appropriate for everyone.

People living with dementia are still individuals. One person may be drawn to music, another to colour, texture or movement. Someone may enjoy turning something in their hands, threading a lace, tapping a small object or simply looking closely at something that catches their attention.

We can use our experience to choose objects that are approachable for someone living with later-stage dementia, but we do not know the individual receiving them. Their family member, friend or carer knows the person. The Custom Curiosity Box brings those two kinds of knowledge together.

You know the person. You choose the contents.

It is not a reminiscence box

This distinction matters to us. A reminiscence box generally uses objects, photographs or other prompts to encourage someone to remember and talk about their past.

Reminiscence can be valuable, but it still asks something of the person. It relies on an object being recognised, a memory being found or a story being told. For someone living with later-stage dementia, that may not always be possible.

The objects in a Curiosity Box do not have to mean anything from the past. The person does not need to identify them, explain them or use them in the way we expect. Recognition or conversation may happen, but neither is required for the interaction to have value.

An object can simply be interesting now.

Someone might hold it, turn it over, feel its texture, make a sound with it or repeat a movement. They might show it to another person or enjoy exploring it together. They may use it in a way we had never considered, and that is perfectly all right.

Personalisation should mean more than adding a name

We often talk about personalisation in dementia care as though it must always be based on someone’s history. Knowing a person’s past is important, but we also need to notice who they are and what is accessible to them in the present.

What can they see clearly? What can they comfortably hold? Are they attracted to bright colours, natural materials, gentle sounds or objects with moving parts? Do they enjoy repetitive movements? Would they rather explore something alone, or share the experience with somebody else?

Personalisation can take account of the person’s interests and history, but also their current abilities, preferences and circumstances. It is not simply about who they used to be. It is about meeting the person who is here now.

Why these particular objects?

There are 33 additional items to choose from. They include familiar objects, tactile items and things offering colour, sound, movement or a simple repeated action.

Each has been considered for what it might offer without requiring instructions or a particular outcome. An object might invite someone to look, touch, turn, thread, tap, listen or simply hold it. There is no correct way to respond and nothing that has to be completed.

We have also tried to choose things that feel like interesting adult possessions, rather than children’s toys or obvious pieces of therapeutic equipment. Dementia may change what somebody can do, but it does not make them a child.

Thirty-three choices provide variety, but this is not simply a collection of miscellaneous sensory objects. Every item has been selected using the thinking and experience behind our original DSDC-accredited Curiosity Box.

A box that can change

The Custom Curiosity Box begins with the wooden box and a Timeless Presents tote and also include guidance to help you introduce the objects and use them in ways that support interest, exploration and connection without pressure. You can then choose the contents that you think will best suit your person.

The additional items can also be bought separately. This means you can add something new to an existing Curiosity Box, replace an item that no longer attracts interest or choose a small, thoughtful gift without buying a complete box.

A person’s interests and abilities may change, and the box can change with them. Sometimes introducing just one unfamiliar object can renew curiosity in the whole collection.

The Custom Curiosity Box does not replace our original box. It extends the idea behind it by making room for the most important knowledge of all: your knowledge of the person.

Chosen by you, especially for them.