Button to help dementia residents

The button is easy to put on but difficult to remove by residents

People with dementia in Nottinghamshire are benefiting from a new gadget which prevents distress over lost clothes.

Carers at centres across the county can put an electronic button into residents' clothes which contain people's names and room numbers.

Manager of Laura Chambers Lodge in Clifton, Stephanie Wilkinson, said in group care clothes could get mixed up causing distress for residents.

The 11mm (0.4in) button can be scanned to reveal who the clothes belong to.

Dignity

"The button is very small so it doesn't irritate the person wearing it," said Ms Wilkinson.

"You can programme the person's name and room number, scan it and identify the person's clothing.

"It helps to keep the person's dignity as no-one else is wearing their clothes and if a resident has someone else's, we can talk to them, show them the scanner and explain.

"It's caused a lot of happiness in the centre as our residents are not getting stressed about looking for their clothes."

The buttons are easy to put on but can only be removed with a special tool and can be re-used when a resident has finished with them.

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Nottingham City Council said it was a simple answer to a distressing problem