Frequently Asked Questions
What is Culture Box?
Culture Box is a research project that will provide public health guidance and creative activities for staff and people living with dementia in care homes.
We are trying to see if activities that promote interaction through the use of art, music, dance and technology can help lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation that have worsened due to the current Covid-19 restrictions.
We hope that the materials that we share will have a positive effect on wellbeing and help people feel more connected to those around them and the outside world.
What if I don’t enjoy the content in the boxes?
That’s okay! It is completely understandable that not everybody will like everything that we send.
We are working with a lot of people from lots of different backgrounds and organisations so our hope is that there will be something in the boxes for everyone.
Some of the activities may be very different and new to you and it’s normal to feel apprehensive when trying something new. All we ask is for you to give it a go. There will be a lot of materials to choose from so do not feel you have to keep using something you do not enjoy.
What about health and safety?
All physical materials that will be sent to you will be risk assessed and we will ensure that they are dementia friendly.
Our Production Team will be adhering to Public Health England’s Covid-19 guidelines and will be wearing PPE when handling anything that will be sent to you. All materials that will be handled by the residents will be able to be cleaned and disinfected.
We are also adhering to the National Activity Providers Association’s safeguarding policy to ensure the safety of our participants.
How does it work?
Every month participants will receive four deliveries from us on a weekly basis. This will include a box delivered to their care home and digital activities that will be accessible through this website with a password via a ‘The Participants’ section. We will notify you via email when to expect a delivery and when the website has been updated with new content.
Every care home that takes part will have a maximum of five residents taking part in the study who will be working with a member of their care team who will assist them with the activities and material.
What do I have to do?
We will be asking for feedback from participating care staff and residents throughout the duration of the project and a researcher who will contact you when you need to do this. This will primarily be through surveys but we may ask you to send us photos/ videos as well.
We will be recording your responses to the materials and how they make you feel as our data to see if they have had a positive effect on your wellbeing. You feedback will also help us to curate the contents of the boxes so that they develop as the project goes on.
Everything you tell us will be anonymised so do not worry if you have something negative to say. The more honest you are with your responses, the better we can make the boxes and the more accurate our data will be.
Other than that, all we ask is for you to explore the material we give you, have a go at the activities and enjoy the boxes!
What if something happens and I can no longer participate ?
If there has been a change in your circumstances, whether that be the care home as a whole or a specific participant and you feel like you can no longer participate in the project, just let us know via our email address: culturebox@exeter.ac.uk and someone will be in contact with you. We understand that there may be a variety of reasons why this may happen so do not hesitate to let us know.
If there is an issue with receiving the deliveries for example, if your home has to lockdown due to Covid-19, we will hold all material for you and send it once it is safe to do so along with any other content you may have missed.
I want to take part in the project, how do I do this?
Recruitment for Culture Box has now ended. However, the digital boxes will be accessible to all once the project has finished. Follow us on Instagram & Twitter for future updates.
What type of things will the boxes include?
The content of the boxes will be carefully curated by our Art Team who have been working with artists to produce exclusive content just for you. This includes videos, dances, paintings, music and multisensory activities.
We will also be sharing material from a number of partner organisations who have content designed specifically for people living with dementia. We will provide instructions and guidelines for all material sent.
What happens once the project is over?
When the project is complete, participants are free to do whatever they like with the material they have received. This means you are then free to share with any non-participating residents, keep anything you found useful and get rid of anything you did not.
Also, the digital content will be made available for all through the website for the next three years so everybody can have access to it.
What will happen to the data you have collected?
Your responses and feedback is the data that will be collected throughout the study. All the data will be anonymised and published as part of a peer-reviewed paper.
Researchers from the study will also be presenting the findings from the project at the Culture, Health and Wellbeing conference.
There will also be an exhibition at the end of the project as part of our evaluation.