Key Takeaways
- Memory aids: Planners, diaries, and voice recorders can help people with dementia manage their memory challenges.
- Orientation aids: Clear, minimalist clocks, with large numbers and familiar cues, help maintain a sense of time and awareness of the time of day.
- Safety devices: Night and motion sensor lights enhance safety by guiding people with dementia at home, while location trackers and personal alarms provide more security.
- Communication aids: Simple, user-friendly landlines or retro phones can facilitate better communication for those experiencing difficulties with standard devices.
Technology is helping so many of us in our day-to-day lives. Whether it’s the convenience of a smart speaker or aids, or the safety and style that automatic lights bring, we all use certain types of assistive technology in our lives. Even things that aren’t necessarily marketed as assistive, such as cool retro phones with large numbers on the dial, can significantly help people with a range of health conditions. So, when it comes to assistive technology in dementia, what are some things that can help?
Memory aids
From early to late-stage dementia, problems with memory are a major part of dementia. Some people diagnosed with dementia like to start using a planner or diary, with reminders of key dates, appointments, birthdays, and even names, ages, and relationships, depending on what they currently need. We all use memory aids to some extent. Many people use reminder apps or tablet organisers to keep track of important medications, which can be especially helpful after a dementia diagnosis. If you find yourself needing frequent reminders, a simple voice recorder can make it quicker and easier to capture messages on the go
Orientations aids
An orientation aid helps you keep track of the time, day, month, or season. A simple clock is an orientation aid, such as decorative sundials, windows, and even decorations for Christmas, Easter, and sporting events. When it comes to assistive technology for dementia, clear, minimalist clocks with large numbers will help someone with dementia understand what time of day it is. You can even get clocks that display today’s date, including the year, and clocks with a picture of a sun or a moon to indicate whether it is night or day. That said, there are also less modern orientation aids, like clock towers with different “bongs” throughout the day. If a person with dementia is familiar with clock towers, you can get similar clocks for the home, or you can use apps like the Big Ben app. All this said, when possible, the best way to keep track of time is to look out a window or go outside and see the light and activity that indicates what time of day it is.
It is also more important than ever to pay attention to and honour the old traditions that help keep track of time, whether this means certain events, using cherished decorations, or making seasonal crafts.
Safety devices
Modern lighting is brilliant. Minimal, energy-efficient strip lighting can draw your attention to exactly what you want it to, guiding your path around a room and highlighting the things you want to display. Night lighting and sensor lighting are also good ways to guide a person with dementia around the home. Motion sensor lights mean an individual with dementia doesn’t have to worry about tracking down the light switch – something that can be a problem for us all! Gentle night lighting and motion sensor lighting also mean a person with dementia can see where they’re walking, for less risk of falling.
Whether due to retrograde amnesia or just general confusion, some people with dementia are also prone to wandering. When this happens, you may want to keep track of your loved one’s location. This is where a location tracker comes in handy. Besides just keeping track of your loved one’s phone, GPS trackers can also be sewn into clothing and attached to bags or shoes. Even basic trackers like AirTags can help you and your loved ones locate keys, glasses, medicines and other essential items around the house.
A person with dementia may also like to use a personal alarm. In the home, there are safety alarms with a button that you wear around your neck or as a bracelet. If you fall, you can then press this button to contact emergency services and send a message to carers simultaneously. Some fitness trackers, like the Apple Watch, try to detect the rapid motion of falls and collisions, sending emergency services your location, even if you are unconscious. These can have false positives, however, and need to be charged much more frequently than a simple button remote.
Communication aids
As dementia progresses, communication devices such as landlines or mobile phones can become unfamiliar and challenging to use. If you notice this happening, some assistive technology dementia that you might like to invest in is a different landline. More simple landlines might be easier for a person with dementia to understand, while landlines from the past can also be helpful for someone with retrograde amnesia.
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