It is very easy for people with dementia to become dehydrated so when Lewis Hornby’s grandmother was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration, he came up with a life-saving solution.
Dementia is a terrifying illness that seems to affect many more of our loved ones before. According to the Jelly Drops website, many dementia patients no longer feel thirst, they don’t know how to quench their thirst, or don’t have the dexterity to drink.
Lewis Hornby became hyper-aware of the effects of dehydration when his own grandmother was rushed to the hospital. It was discovered that because of her dementia, she had not been drinking the correct amount of water. Lewis decided to do something about it and created the Jelly Drops.
They are super-hydrating treats, that people with dementia find engaging and easy to eat. By eating the treat that looks similar to a jelly sweet, the dementia patient gets the hydration they require through a method that they find more enjoyable. Lewis confirmed,
From my observations, people with dementia find eating much easier than drinking. Even still, it can be difficult to engage and encourage them to eat. I found the best way to overcome this is to offer them a treat! This format excites people with dementia, they instantly recognize it and know how to interact with it. Jelly Drops builds on this insight – these bright, tasty treats attract the attention of people with dementia, and the firm, easy to grip ‘drops’ makes them simple to pick up.
The box itself contains many features to help people with dementia interact with it, and crucially it doesn’t look like a medical device. Its friendly aesthetic reduces stigma around the solution, increasing its uptake. When first offered, grandma ate 7 Jelly Drops in 10 minutes – the equivalent to a cup full of water, something that would usually take hours and require much more assistance. Eating the whole box would account for around half the necessary daily fluid intake.
The drops are currently being tested in nursing homes across the UK.
Jelly Drops are over 90% water, with extra ingredients making them more hydrating than just drinking that volume alone. Their solid format also increases hydration as it takes longer for the body to break them down, giving the kidney’s a better chance of absorbing the water.
What do you think of this clever invention?
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