--- title: "Sticky notes or spoken reminders for an older parent?" description: "Notes around the house are the most common home-made memory system. Why they work at first, why they stop, and what replaces them." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "email": "hello@youcarereminders.co.uk", "areaServed": "GB" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#website", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "publisher": { "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is it patronising to put notes up?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It depends entirely on tone and consent. Agreeing them together, and keeping them few, makes the difference." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What about a notebook instead?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A single notebook kept in one place works well for some people, especially with mild cognitive impairment, because it keeps everything in one thread." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should carers write on the notes too?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A shared communication book is better. Notes for the person and notes for the carers serve different purposes and should not mix." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Memory aids for dementia", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/memory-aids-for-dementia" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sticky notes or spoken reminders?", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/sticky-notes-vs-spoken-reminders" } ] } ] --- [You Care Reminders Caregiver Support ](/) [Home](/)[How it works](/features)[Pricing](/pricing)[Guides](/guides)[FAQ](/faq)[Contact](/contact) [Sign in](/login)[Get started](/signup) 1. [Home](/) 2. [Memory aids for dementia](/memory-aids-for-dementia) 3. Sticky notes or spoken reminders? Comparison # Sticky notes or spoken reminders? By the time a family is worried, there are usually notes on the kettle, the door and the fridge. They are a good instinct that runs out of road. Short answer Notes work for facts that need to be available in a place — the door code, who is visiting. They do not work for things that need to happen at a time, because there is nothing to make the person look at the right moment. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[How it works](/features) ## What notes are genuinely good at - Place-based facts: "lock the back door" on the back door. - Reassurance: "Jane is coming at 2pm" by the chair. - Contact details by the telephone. - Instructions at the point of use, like on the washing machine. ## Why the system collapses Notes accumulate. Once there are more than a handful they stop being read, and old ones create confusion — a note about an appointment three weeks ago is worse than no note at all. They also become distressing for some people, a visible record of not coping in their own home. ## Time-based things need something that arrives Lunch, fluids, a walk, a call to a friend — these are about the hour, not the place. Only something that comes to the person at that hour can prompt them reliably. A short spoken message does that without adding to the paper on the walls. ## A sensible middle ground Keep three or four permanent notes where they belong, remove everything temporary as soon as it has passed, and move everything that depends on the time of day to scheduled prompts. ## 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 it patronising to put notes up? ### What about a notebook instead? ### Should carers write on the notes too? ## Read next - [Whiteboard vs spoken reminders](/whiteboard-vs-spoken-reminders) - [Memory aids for dementia](/memory-aids-for-dementia) - [Paper diary vs reminder app](/paper-diary-vs-reminder-app) - [Independence with MCI](/independence-with-mci) ## 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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