Jelly Drops were invented by a young UK-based scientist called Lewis Hornby, after his grandmother with dementia was hospitalised with dehydration. They are sweets containing 90 per cent water that can help keep older people, especially those with dementia, hydrated. Alzheimer’s Society (UK) is partnering with the Jelly Drops team through its Accelerator Programme – a programme that funds innovations and inventions that help people with dementia.
Memory problems can lead to a person with dementia forgetting to drink enough water, and the part of the brain which recognises that the body is in need of hydration may also be impaired by dementia. On top of this, some medications and dementia-related illnesses can make dehydration worse.
Inspired by his grandmother's love of sweets, Mr Hornby designed the hydrating sweets to be bright, tasty and interesting to people with dementia. The firm outside also makes them easy to pick up. A full box of Jelly Drops is equivalent to drinking three cups of water, which is more than many people with dementia currently consume in a day.
Alzheimer’s Society partnership with Jelly Drops will last 12 months, during which they will support the product designers to learn from people affected by dementia, so that the best possible design is used. The society will also provide a network of links to care industry experts so that the final product can reach as many people affected by dementia as possible. With this support, plus funding of GBP 100,000, the aim is to have the product ready to take to market by the end of the partnership term.
Pictured: Lewis Hornby, with his grandmother, Pat
