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title: "Do reminder apps work for dementia? An honest answer"
description: "Reminder apps help at some stages of dementia and not others. What the evidence and experience suggest for UK families, and how to tell which stage you are at."
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1.  [Home](/)
2.  [Dementia care at home](/dementia-care-at-home)
3.  Do reminder apps actually work in dementia? 

Honest answer

# Do reminder apps actually work in dementia?

The honest answer is: early on, often yes. Later, no — and continuing to rely on one after that point is where families get hurt.

Short answer

Reminders help while the person can still act on a prompt they receive. Once a prompt no longer leads to the action, no app fixes that, and a person is needed instead.

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

## Where they help

-   Early dementia and mild cognitive impairment, where initiation is the problem rather than comprehension. 
-   Routine actions that repeat daily — drinks, meals, a walk, a call. 
-   Reducing the number of times a family member has to ring and ask. 
-   Giving the person a sense that the day has a shape they own. 

## Where they stop helping

When the message is read but not understood, when the phone is no longer answered or carried, or when the prompt causes distress rather than direction, the tool has reached its limit. That point arrives for everyone eventually.

Continuing past it is a false reassurance, and false reassurance is worse than none.

## What to use alongside

Environmental aids — a day-and-date clock, labels, good lighting, a clear routine — do work that a phone cannot. Telecare, a key safe and a personal alarm cover the emergency case. Human contact covers everything else.

## How to judge for your own family

Set three simple prompts for a fortnight and look at whether they are confirmed and whether the action followed. That is a more useful test than any general answer, including this one.

## The wider picture

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, not a monitoring service and not an alarm. Delivery is best effort rather than guaranteed, and it must not be used for medication reminders. If you are worried about someone's health, speak to their GP; in an emergency, call 999.

## Questions carers ask

### Is there research on this?

### Can reminders be used for medication?

### Will it delay needing care?

## Read next

-   [Dementia check-in service](/dementia-check-in-service)
-   [How to remind someone with dementia](/how-to-remind-someone-with-dementia)
-   [Memory aids for dementia](/memory-aids-for-dementia)
-   [Living alone with dementia](/living-alone-with-dementia)

## 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.

Wellness support, not medical advice.

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-   [Compared to dementia clocks](/vs-dementia-clocks)
-   [Why smart alarms fail](/why-smart-alarms-fail-older-adults)

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