Help & support
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4. A big clock
One of the first things we bought to help Mum was a large
digital clock. Mum started to miss appointments because she
was confusing days, dates and times. Dementia clocks hadn’t
been invented but this one did help and it responded to radio
signals and changed time automatically when the clocks
changed so Mum always knew the correct time.
5. CCTV
When I was at work, or away from home with friends, I would
really worry how Mum was doing and couldn’t really relax
and enjoy myself. Sophisticated home monitoring systems
weren’t easily available a few years ago (they
are now), but I did manage to rig up my own
CCTV camera.
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Now there’s a great
range of clocks produced
by companies that work
with carers and people
with dementia and then
create products which
help to solve everyday
problems.
Five products I wish I’d had
1. Bedi shield
Helping mum to brush her teeth was a real challenge. Poor hygiene
meant discomfort and more trips to the dentist, causing huge
distress and sometimes even leading to general anaesthetic. This
simple finger shield allows you to keep the mouth open while you
brush the teeth – it would have made the whole experience far less
traumatic.
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2. Sensory activities
Multi-sensory dough is a powerful way to evoke memories, and
sensory bags containing smelly sticks, shells, feathers and other
textures are great for stimulating the senses. Other products are
designed to provide comfort in repetitive stimulation. Mum would
have enjoyed using all these and they would have made great gifts.
3. Tena U-Test
Despite our best efforts, a couple of times a year Mum would
develop a urinary tract infection (UTI). It wo ձ