6th November 2017

An A-level student from Melksham is hoping to harness technology to battle dementia.

Ben Davis, whose grandma lives with dementia, said he wanted to make a positive impact on her life and the lives of many others by creating something that makes everyday life easier. 

The Melksham Oaks student is hoping to design a dementia-friendly appliance that will incorporate a clock, a pill box and a calendar. He brought his idea to Alzheimer’s Support where he discussed concepts and designs that might be suitable with CEO Babs Harris.

Babs said: “We were impressed with Ben’s innovative approach to living with dementia and we will be supporting him throughout his project with whatever advice he may need. What really stood out to me is that Ben has intuitively attempted to solve three of the real, everyday problems that people living with dementia face.”

Ben said: “One of the reasons I decided to do this is that my grandma suffers from the disease herself so it is something that is close to my heart. Another reason is that I want to familiarise myself with the kind of work which I hope to do once I leave school, from the research stage to the manufacturing stage. My goal is to produce a product that can be a personal confidence booster for people with dementia. I want it to be sustainable as well as have ergonomic features which make it safe and comfortable for the consumer to use."

You will be able to find updates on Ben’s project on the Alzheimer’s Support website, Facebook and Twitter pages.