Boy Invents ‘water To Eat’ To Help Dementia Patients Stay Hydrated.
It may sound strange, but older people with even a mild form of dementia are at risk for dehydration. It is indeed very common to lose the desire to drink and the perception of thirst which can be amplified as the disease worsens. It is one of the main causes of hospitalization of these people, as was the case with the grandmother of a young English inventor. The boy tried to find a cure for the problem of his grandmother and many other elderly people, and it seems he succeeded …
image credit: Lewis Hornby/Vimeo
A young aspiring designer, Lewis Hornby, driven by the love of his grandmother, seems to have found a concrete solution to the problems of dehydration faced by people with dementia. It all started when the young man saw the woman hospitalized with severe dehydration. Unfortunately, as is the case with many older people, the disease causes you to forget to drink completely, without perceiving the need to hydrate.
The boy, considering his grandmother’s problem, tried to prevent this from happening again, as dehydration could prove fatal. Aware of this enormous risk, the inventor in him took over and had a brilliant, if not revolutionary, idea. 90% water gelatin drops that are easy to eat, swallow, and brightly colored to attract attention. Packaged in an easy-to-open box, they are very appealing to older people who prefer to eat rather than drink.
image credit: Jelly Drops/The James Dyson Awards
To arrive at this intuition, the boy lived in close contact with his grandmother and the other elderly people in the nursing home, during the week the woman was hospitalized. To come to the right conclusion, Lewis drew on the advice of a specialist psychologist, which gave him a better understanding of the behavior of people with dementia. Thus, thanks to sensory deprivation and virtual reality tools , the young creator descended into the world of the sick, and after consulting a medical team, came to the creation of Jelly Drop, namely a super moisturizing food product.
Consuming an entire box of these jellies equates to the need for a day and a half of liquid, Lewis’s grandmother after 10 minutes had consumed 7 Jelly Drops! Obviously, this discovery caught the attention of many pharmaceutical companies who suggested that the boy continue to develop the product on a large scale. For now, Lewis is appreciating his grandmother’s improvements and being nominated for “ The James Dyson Awards ” an award dedicated to budding designers. The development of this remedy could dramatically improve the quality of life for many older people, and it looks like this young genius is on the right track. Below you will find the video of the old woman “trying out” her niece’s new invention!
Watch the video:
source used: Jelly Drops Hydration