What to buy for someone who has dementia?

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My grandad has dementia. He is being looked after at home by family members. What could I buy for him that would be something he would enjoy and/or also something that might help those caring for him? Thank you for any ideas!

Depending on your budget you could look at:
Alexa Show or similar to show photos, have drop in video calls, weather and music.

Colour by number books with colouring pencils

Clock showing date and time clearly.

I got my Dad (he passed away on 21st December 22) an electronic device which showed not only the time but also the date (in numbers and words) and time of day - whether it was morning, afternoon, evening or night. It was very helpful because his dementia meant he didn't understand what time of day it was.

It was a large display, too so it was easy to see. We put it on the unit his TV was on (he spent most of his time watching TV) so that it was always in his line of sight!

We got my mum a life size toy dog, she loved it, she had always had pets and couldn't any more....It was sad for us to see her with it but she really loved it.

www.jellydrops.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA85efBhBbEiwAD7oLQFJ4bUzaGV_UWHPQCvpEhI4OhzfSBM4KeA9QFF-7l_ZBFkcGtBhdkhoCJUgQAvD_BwE

These are great to get water intake up.

a cushion with a picture on it of loved ones. We got my nan a cushion with a photo of her and my dad who has passed. she loves it x

You can get jigsaw puzzles for people with dementia. The pieces are large and there's few of them (e.g. twenty) but they have pastoral paintings and such on them so don't look like they're for children. My grandad always loved jigsaws and towards the end these were one of the few things he could still do semi-independently. I got them from Amazon.

This music player is great www.alzproducts.co.uk/simple-music-player-for-dementia-red-green-walnut

or a clock like this www.alzproducts.co.uk/dayclox-3-in-1

i’ve tried those jelly drops and they are a marmite product - you either love or hate them. I found the texture very unpleasant so just get a small box if you go for theirs as they might not go down very well.

I made a photo album for my gran, was nice to look through it together when I visited.

Have you heard of twiddle muffs, Op? Not sure that is now their name but they are hand made muffs with tactile things inside to twiddle with. Keep the hands warm etc
Otherwise make a playlist of their nostalgic music favourites that is easily accessed for other carers to put on.

That's so sad but lovely. I can say with some conviction that if I ever have dementia I would love this!

It was a bit of effort but I made a photo book for my Grandma with dementia. Her memory of my childhood is much clearer than anything more recent so I found some old family photos and photos from the internet of places we'd been together and made a book of "I remember when....".

E.g "I remember when you took me on a coach trip to Germany. We went to the museum" and a generic internet picture of said museum.

Apparently she remembered everything and enjoyed paging through it. The staff in her home are lovely and I hoped they might be able to lead through it too and start a conversation.

I was coming to suggest a 'twiddle muff', weighted 'Teddy/dog' etc.

Definitely a photo album and photos to hang in the wall

My mum has two photo blankets with pictures of the family on them. One of the blankets is really big so the photos are pretty much life sized. The other one she has had for quite a while and it was really useful when she was at home with carers. It provided a talking point and helped them to put a face to the people she talked about.

Your Grandad would love some of your time and the familycarers would appreciate the respite of you sitting with him Gift wise the clock memory book cushion or blanket with pics on are all great ideas

Facebook portal for FaceTime

Wipes for body washing

Signs for the walls to show where the toilet is in the house

Commode if toileting is becoming an issue

Plain floors as patterns on the floor/carpet/tiles confused patients

Bedroom downstairs if possible to avoid going upstairs and falls

Meals on wheels

Carer if possible to come in how ever many times a day to help with food, clean up or just for a cup of tea and a chat

Audio books

Baby doll

Fish tank - high up so can't be knocked over or walked into

Telephone with giant numbers, automatic load speaker and numbers of family/friends already programmed into it

Key box outside house incase you need to gain access

Panic button necklace

Stair gate in stairs if you stable

Fresh flowers to stimulate senses or plug in air fresheners

SAD lamp

Routine of curtains open every day for natural light

Fidget toys/ poppers

Electronic photo frame that the pictures automatically change

Remove mirrors

I would love to do this more but I am 7 hours away and have two young dc, one of whom is a baby.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Xx

A robot cat seems to be popular at a dementia home near me. It's a furry toy that purrs.

Sunny street books have a range of different picture books with a little text- they have religious ones, ones for gardeners, animal ones etc. They are (I think!) specifically made for people with dementia.

It depends on the stage of dementia, by the time We got to Christmas MiL was in the later stage, I bought MiL a couple of presents, one I gave early, a throw because she was always cold , some nice chocolate because she'd usually eat them and a rabbit that goes on the microwave, again to keep her warm. Unfortunately she was in hospital over Christmas and died a couple of weeks later. By the later stages all she did was sit and stare. We tried looking at old photos but she got upset when she didn't recognise people.

Her constant companion was a cuddly ginger car or a teddy.

Also be aware people can go downhill rapidly with dementia

DMiL liked picture books.
This is one we got her that she particularly took to www.alzproducts.co.uk/picture-books-for-people-with-dementia

In fact this whole site is good for dementia related products.

Another recommendation for twiddle muffs, we got one for my mum from Amazon, and we left it with the Home after she died so someone else could have it.

Agreed about a blanket too, apparently a lot of dementia sufferers really feel the cold.

My mum didn't like the jelly drops at all, which is a shame as they're a brilliant idea. They're unbelievably slippery, I tried to pick one up to give her and it was like trying to juggle with a wet fish 😂. It gave her a laugh anyway, so that was something.

We also did a photo album with stickers on each page saying what the occasion was "Brian and Jessica's wedding" or "our holiday in France, 2008" kind of thing. It was useful for the carers too to be able to go through it with her and help jog her memory.