After John Sprange’s father developed Alzheimer’s, he couldn’t help but wonder if there was some way he could help fight to maintain some of his memories. When his father went into a home, he made a list of cherished memories for his father to look over. Unfortunately, it was constantly set away whenever staff would clean his room. So, he created the bright colored Mind Dice instead.
The dice, which costs £15, allows family members to write words on the sides that will spark memories enjoyed by the sufferer.
The words can be wiped off with a special cloth, so the memories can be changed as necessary.
John has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award that could see his invention named ‘care innovator of the year’ at the Great British Care Awards in May 2012.
A spokesman for the awards, which are designed to recognise excellence in the care home and home care sectors, praised John’s dice as an “excellent communications stimulant helping to keep memories aliveâ€.
“I wanted to come up with something to help enable people to keep contact for a little while longer.â€
John believes the dice improved his father’s quality of life before his death last year.