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1.  [Home](/)
2.  Dementia clocks 

Buyer's guide

# Dementia clocks, explained  
without the sales pitch

A dementia clock is one of the cheapest, calmest things you can put in a room. Here is what it does well, what to look for before you spend anything, and the jobs it will never do.

[Begin caring today for free](/signup)[How it works](/features)

## The problem a clock is actually solving

Time stops being obvious long before memory becomes the main difficulty. A dark afternoon in November looks like early morning. A nap after lunch resets the day. Waking at four feels like waking at seven, and there is nothing in an ordinary bedroom that says otherwise.

A dementia clock answers that one question, permanently and without being asked: it is Tuesday, it is the afternoon. Because the answer is always there, nobody has to remember to give it, and nobody has to feel awkward asking again.

## What to look for before you buy

-   Words, not numbers alone. 'Tuesday afternoon' asks nothing of the reader. '14:32' asks quite a lot. 
-   A screen you can read from a chair across the room — most families end up wishing they had bought the larger one. 
-   Mains powered, with a battery only as backup. A clock that quietly dies on a set of AAs is worse than no clock. 
-   Automatic time changes in spring and autumn, so nobody has to find a manual in March. 
-   Few or no buttons on the front. Anything pressable will eventually be pressed. 
-   A display that dims at night rather than lighting the whole bedroom. 

## Where a clock is the right answer

If the recurring difficulty is orientation — repeated questions about the day, confusion between early morning and evening, getting dressed at odd hours — a clock is a genuinely good buy. It is a one-off cost, there is nothing to learn, nothing to charge and nothing to subscribe to. We would rather say that plainly than pretend every problem needs a service behind it.

## Where it quietly runs out

-   It waits to be looked at. If nobody glances up, nothing happens at all. 
-   It cannot say anything specific. A clock has no way to suggest a glass of water or mention that a grandchild is ringing at four. 
-   It has no sense of the week, so anything that happens only on Sundays gets no help. 
-   It tells you nothing at all. You still end up phoning to work out how the day went. 

## What families often end up with

A clock on the sideboard for orientation, and something separate for the handful of moments that matter — a short message at eleven and at three, in words that sound like you, with a single button to tap so you can see it was read.

That is what You Care Reminders is for. It is not a replacement for a clock, and if orientation is your only problem you do not need us. Where the two overlap, they overlap harmlessly.

## For context

around 982,000

people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK.

Source: [Alzheimer's Society](https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/news-and-media/facts-media)

roughly 6 in 10

people with dementia in the UK live in their own home, not in care.

Source: [Alzheimer's Society](https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/news-and-media/facts-media)

## Being straight with you

You Care Reminders is a non-medical wellness tool. It is not a dementia treatment, a monitoring service or an alarm, delivery is best effort rather than guaranteed, and it must not be used for medication reminders. In an emergency, call 999. If orientation is the only difficulty you are dealing with, a clock on its own may well be all you need.

## Questions carers ask

### What is a dementia clock?

### Do dementia clocks actually help?

### How much should I expect to pay?

### Digital or analogue?

### What can a clock not do?

## Read next

-   [What is a dementia clock?](/what-is-a-dementia-clock)
-   [Dementia calendar clocks explained](/dementia-calendar-clocks)
-   [Memory aids for dementia](/memory-aids-for-dementia)
-   [Dementia clocks compared with reminders](/vs-dementia-clocks)

## Set the first reminder tonight

It takes about five minutes, costs nothing to start, and the person you care for has nothing to install.

[Begin caring today for free](/signup)[See plans](/pricing)

You Care Reminders 

Thoughtful reminders that help families stay quietly connected to the people they love.

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-   [Dementia check-ins](/dementia-check-in-service)
-   [Daily prompts for MCI](/mild-cognitive-impairment-daily-prompts)
-   [Drink & meal reminders](/dehydration-reminders-elderly)
-   [Compared to dementia clocks](/vs-dementia-clocks)
-   [Why smart alarms fail](/why-smart-alarms-fail-older-adults)

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-   [Dementia care at home](/dementia-care-at-home)
-   [Mild cognitive impairment](/mild-cognitive-impairment)
-   [Dementia clocks](/dementia-clocks)
-   [Signs of dehydration](/signs-of-dehydration-in-older-adults)
-   [Carer burnout](/carer-burnout-early-signs)
-   [Respite care](/respite-care-uk)

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