10 years ago Ben’s Grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of Dementia which is characterised by a gradual decline in memory, and which can ultimately affect all aspects of thinking. Ben and his family cared for his Grandfather and tried to keep him entertained and stimulated but it became more and more difficult as his condition deteriorated. Using games designed for 3 year olds was both patronising for his Grandfather and upsetting for his family. "With nothing else to do in many care homes apart from stare at a TV screen" says Ben, living with old age and/or a disability becomes harder than necessary for everyone involved.

However, around this time Ben was fortunately studying Product Design at Kingston University in London, and embarking on a project in How Design Can Help People in Long-term Healthcare. “I thought this was a good opportunity to explore ways in which I could help my Grandfather and other people suffering from Dementia”, Ben explains. He noticed that the need for assistive mobility products such as wheelchairs and stair lifts was relatively well catered for, but there was near to nothing available in the market for people in need of assistive activity products, and so Ben decided to focus on this wanting area of design for his project.

Within 6 weeks he had created a basic jigsaw that was both accessible and age-appropriate so his Grandfather could complete it unaided, with interest and within 15 minutes - something he had not previously managed to do. His Grandfather loved jigsaws, but as his dementia advanced it wasn’t enjoyable or fair for him to have to play jigsaws that were designed for children just because he wasn’t able to engage physically or mentally with games designed for his age range. 

Ben trialed the jigsaw with various care homes and St George’s hospital in London to find it worked really well. "With over 800,000 people in the UK living with dementia the response from the care community was huge". Hilary Dalke, a specialist in design for dementia at Kingston University, thought Ben’s jigsaws were a great idea and offered him some university funding to develop his designs and production further as part of an Enterprise Award Scheme. The first set of jigsaws was a sell-out and since Ben launched his website Active Minds in 2009, the business has continued to flourish. “I didn’t imagine I would be doing this after university” Ben says, “but one thing lead to another and when opportunities come about you’ve got to chase them”. The activity products Active Minds can now offer to people living with dementia range from Reusable Aquapaint sets, to Communication Aids and Memory Cards, Picture Books and DVDs that are designed to trigger personal memories, and Exercise Objects which “improve dexterity, co-ordination and mobility” and help people remain “active and healthy” in the later stages of dementia.

Active Minds base the designs of their products on the criteria as outlined by the Department of Health for dementia care. Research has shown that people living with dementia are at risk from suffering acute boredom, frustration and depression if the help isn’t there to keep their minds engaged and stimulated. Ben has seen for himself how the nature of Active Minds products has improved physical function, behavioural symptoms and ultimately the quality of life for both patients and those looking after them. He works with a number of graphic and product designers, but he also opens up competitions to his client base to generate ideas. Involving the end-users in the design process provides him with valuable market research, and results in products that are really required. Regular social-impact surveys are sent out to assess how effective their products are being in the market, and so far the feedback from clients has been “fantastic”. 100% of carers feel Active Minds activities have improved the quality of care they give, and therefore the lives they are caring for, and 80% of family members say they have improved the time they spend with their loved ones in many respects. Ben realised: “what do you buy someone with advanced dementia for their birthday or Christmas?” He hopes he has now been able to answer these sorts of questions for many people.

In time Ben plans to expand the business and develop activity products for other disabilities such as Autism and Parkinson’s disease as he recognises there is just as much of a need for them in these areas as well. He welcomes any suggestions! 

To read more about Ben's products see our feature in the Good Stuff forum