Nurse Molly Baldini hopes her gummy invention will improve oral care for patients (Image: Molly Baldini/Getty)
A teeth-cleaning gummy and a virtual reality headset to help users revisit happy memories are among the first inventions selected for development to benefit people with . Society’s new Launchpad scheme is backing 12 pioneering products from entrepreneurs who will be supported to road-test their ideas.
dementia nurse Molly Baldini, 25, came up with the idea for swallowable gummy DentaBlue after witnessing how something as simple as forgetting to brush their teeth can have a significant impact on patients’ mood and behavioural symptoms. She said: “What I want to be focusing on with this product is dignity and comfort for people living with dementia. We all know that feeling when you’ve forgotten to brush your teeth and you’re halfway to work, and it just really sets you off on a bad foot.”
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ACTION-XR aims to use virtual reality tech to ease depression (Image: Cardiff University)
The gummy design uses a xylitol gel combined with antibacterial elements typically found in mouthwash and toothpaste, in a formulation that can be safely swallowed.
Ms Baldini, who works as a dementia services manager at a Hertfordshire hospital, hopes that using it on days when patients are struggling with brushing or time is tight could help reduce their risk of oral diseases and tooth decay.
She is aiming to have developed a prototype and secured investment within around 18 months. The effects of dementia on people’s routines and pressures on the NHS and in care homes mean the “fundamentals of care” can be “the first things to drop off” as the condition progresses, she said.
Ms Baldini added: “It’s not a substitute for brushing your teeth, you need your toothbrush to be able to really get that plaque and dirt out.
“But a lot of people who are living with dementia, especially in hospitals or in nursing homes, might not be able to do that for themselves, or might not want the support of somebody doing that for them. So it’s better than nothing.”
The Launchpad, which will be celebrated at an event in Leeds on Tuesday, does not provide funding but will help inventors develop their products with input from potential users — people who are living with dementia.
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Another chosen innovation, ACTION-XR, will test the use of virtual reality headsets and sensory-driven nostalgic triggers.
Kevin Moss, chief executive of Rescape Innovation, has developed similar technology which is used in NHS hospitals to relieve pain and anxiety. One study of 28 patients receiving palliative care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital found that using the VR technology to watch short nature videos reduced pain scores by 28% and anxiety by 40%.
Mr Moss has now joined forces with Dr Gary Christopher, an expert in ageing and nostalgia therapy at Swansea University, to explore how it can be used to combat depression and anxiety in people with dementia.
He hopes that combining scenic visuals of familiar locations, music and personal photographs could help people revisit comforting memories in a “safe space”.
Mr Moss added: “The thing we’re really excited about is enabling someone at an early stage of their condition to train themself in nostalgia, to find those links.
“There are huge positive benefits of being nostalgic. Maybe at different stages they wouldn’t need to use VR, once we’ve made the connection we could just play the music or look at the photo to help them reminisce.”
Other inventions selected include technology to help carers monitor the daily activities of people with dementia, and a financial tool to aid decisions about property and power of attorney.
Alzheimer’s Society has previously co-produced or accelerated work on 16 products that have reached more than 100,000 people and secured over £5million in funding.
These include the Tasty Spoon, a rechargeable device that uses electrical stimulation to enhance the flavour of food for people who are losing their sense of taste.
As their taste buds decline, some patients do not eat enough or start consuming too much salt and sugar to compensate for the loss of flavour. Developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield, the spoon is now undergoing user-testing.
Simon Lord, head of innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said such inventions had huge potential to “increase people with dementia’s choice, improve their quality of life, and revolutionise their treatment, care, and support”.
Innovation can help us tackle big and small everyday problems, writes SIMON LORD
Original thinking and innovation have enormous potential to improve the lives of people living with dementia, both now and in years to come.
In five years of Alzheimer’s Society driving and supporting innovative solutions to the challenges people living with dementia face, we have reached over 100,000 people, providing tailored solutions that tackle everyday problems, big and small.
These innovations have the power to improve care, quality of life, prevent lengthy hospital stays, and provide hope to families and carers.
Almost one in six hospital beds today are occupied by someone living with dementia. They often face complex, fragmented care during hospitalisation, which can have severe consequences on their health and wellbeing.
To help combat this, Alzheimer’s Society is scanning the horizon to attract and develop the best entrepreneurs into dementia and work together with policy makers and care providers to solve these challenges.
This month we will unveil our first ever Launchpad cohort – a group of entrepreneurs working with the charity as a springboard to test and validate their ideas to help increase people with dementia’s choice, improve their quality of life, and revolutionise their treatment, care, and support.
We know how important it is to think about the person a product is being designed for, which is why we are supporting our successful Launchpad participants, to co-create their ideas with people affected by dementia and key stakeholders across dementia and innovation to ensure they offer the best practical solutions.
Our ambition is to provide a product or solution for everyone at every stage of dementia. To find out more about Alzheimer’s Society’s work on innovation visit
– Simon Lord is head of innovation at Alzheimer’s Society