Gadgets that help people cope with dementia

For many people with dementia, technology has been a lifeline. Picture: Stock
- The ability to control lighting and heating remotely
- Family members can check in via an app
- Daily games and skills’ challenges can stimulate the brain with different questions
- The virtual assistant can add items to a shopping list
- Increase the size of text and icons
- Change the background to a strong contrasting colour to support visibility
- Delete or conceal apps no longer in use
- For some people, making a call can become challenging. Easy-to-use phones can be purchased, but making some changes to contacts can also make all the difference. Here’s how to do it:
- Pare back the phone book to who the person stays in contact with most
- Move the most-used numbers into a favourite section in contacts
- Incorporate images as part of contacts to make numbers easier to recognise
- For some android smartphones, a contact may be added to the home screen. This is called a widget. Simply pressing the person’s image on the home screen will immediately call them - no need to go through the phone book.
- Hello Brain Health - an app available in the Apple App Store with daily ‘Brain Buff’ challenges to help keep the brain fit and healthy
- Irish Film Institute (IFI) player - an app featuring a collection of Irish cultural, social and historical film, as well as TV ads from times gone by. It can be a reminiscence experience for a person with dementia to look back on familiar footage
- Luminosity - a brain-training app that focuses on attention, memory and problem-solving
- Jigsaw puzzles - there are apps where you can select an image and desired difficulty level
- The Dementia: Understand Together campaign is led by the HSE in partnership with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Age Friendly Ireland, Age and Opportunity, and the Dementia Services Information and Development Centre. It aims to create communities that actively embrace and include those living with dementia and their families. For more on HSE Memory Technology Resource Rooms, including the services in St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, Cork (tel. 021 492 3194) and the Mallow Primary Healthcare building, Mallow, Co. Cork (tel. 022 58700/086 787 1818), along with a video showcasing what’s on offer, visit www.understandtogether.ie/mtrr. Alternatively, contact The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Helpline for support on Freefone 1800 341 341 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm).