Dementia / Alzheimer’s DAB+ & FM RADIO

[@ncot_tech]

The way the volume doesn't go entirely silent is a clever design, not just because you can't forget to switch the radio off, but when you turn it on it'll make noise so you know it's working.

[@DaedalusYoung]

It sounded like the on/off bleeps were independent of the volume setting anyway.

[@katho8472]

@@DaedalusYoung Probably the buttons are independent, but after having it turned on for a minute, a person may have forgotten already they did that...

[@HarryScutt]

My grandad has dementia, and I could definitely imagine him turning the volume all the way down and getting frustrated thinking the radio has stopped working. Very clever design.

[@moconnell663]

This is a common feature in pro audio comms gear. My employer makes talent amplifiers that cannot be turned all the way down because you wouldn't want your talent to miss their cue.

[@AileTheAlien]

It'd be nice if _all_ products had the level of care and attention afforded to this one. :)

[@theotherjustin]

My wife has early-onset Alzheimer's. That comment near the beginning about being able to provide them a little joy at this point in their lives is worth the cost is so true. I'm so glad companies are making devices like this, and I want to say thank you for taking the time to bring awareness to them and review them. There's nothing we can do to stop it, cure it, or prevent what's coming. So we do the only thing we can do, which is trying to make whatever bits of cognizant life they have left as enjoyable as possible for them. So thank you for helping us do just that with videos like these. It means more to some of us than we could ever possibly convey.

[@micksmixxx]

Be strong, sir. You have my utmost respect for caring for your wife, whether that be on a day-to-day basis, or visiting her in a Residential establishment. 💗

[@PerryCJamesUK]

You and your family are in my prayers tonight.

[@50factsabout]

Hi Justin, may I ask your opinion on the following please? If you had a telesales company call you offering to sell you simplified appliances or items for people in your wifes position, would the call offend you of feel assistive? I am trying to persuade a friend with a telesales company to swap to products that truly benefit the end user rather than things like warranties. I just wanted the opinion of someone who not only has to deal with the difficulities I imagine daily life can present you caring for someone in that position, but also someone who can tell me the personal feeling behind the idea too. All the best, Chris.

[@beckigreen]

@@50factsabout I know your comment is directed to someone else but in my opinion, the answer is no. Having to take care of a loved one with a disease is draining, and the last thing the caretaker or the afflicted person needs is to be called on the phone, being bothered about telesales, no matter what the product is.

[@50factsabout]

@@beckigreen Hi Becki, thanks for you reply. Advice taken and passed on. Would an email be less intrusive and put you in control of whether you resond or not? Just want to find a viable way of companies making money still, but with compassion and actually helping people that need it :)

[@Azeria]

I’m very pleased it sounds good, products like this often cheap out on that kind of thing because they think it doesn’t matter.

[@hugoromeyn4582]

Yes. While these products are mostly used by elderly people which are in many cases also suffering from hearing problems. So good and clear sound is even more important!

[@johnbarbrook]

As soon as I saw this I thought 'Don't sound like a 10 pound tinny pound shop speaker'. It really gets the old goat when products for the elderly or disabled are made to a very low standard of design, just because 'who cares'.

[@GoldSrc_]

Normal products, yes, on those you can find very cheap things. But for specialized products like this, you pretty much always get good quality products.

[@johnbarbrook]

@Gernot Schrader I do! I like that time is spent to create well thought out products for elders. It is respectful. Unlike keyboards for the partially sighted, which are cheap membrane keyboards with a sticker set on them, when a clicky mechanical keyboard would be more suitable for the tactile feedback!

[@twizz420]

@Gernot Schrader the people who would use it and the people who are buying it for someone else... What kind of a stupid question is that? Just because someone is old doesn't mean they can't hear and feel bass.

[@vwspeedracer]

My wife works in dementia care and this looks like a perfect fit for an issue she's trying to solve. Thanks for taking the time to make a video out of it!

[@LayerInfinity]

Hey Matt, I know this probably doesn't mean much coming from a random viewer (trust me I know) but I hope you're doing alright in yourself. Times like these are rough for everyone involved and I think it's sweet that you're giving this to your loved one whilst also highlighting it to all of us who might need one of these in the future to help our own. You've come a long way since those key chain camera reviews and I want you to know that I, alongside many others, am really proud of how far you've come as a channel and as a likeable chap in general!

[@AlanKPet]

I agree, very well said.

[@joethompson11]

So say we all!

[@tvfella]

Couldn't agree more. Your new videos are the highlight of my week. Hope all is well for you too.

[@fenceup07944931177]

I could listen to this guy narrate paint drying!

[@donaloflynn]

Very well said. Mat is such a kind and thoughtful person and his videos looking at assistive technology such as this are some of his best. As healthcare improves and new treatments are developed for previously fatal illnesses, many countries have more elderly citizens than ever before. Many older people who don't develop dementia or Alzheimer's still need easy-to-use technology like this. My mother is only 63, but she has never mastered any digital device. She's had "granny phones" for at least ten years at this stage. First a 'Vodafone Simply' manufactured by Sagem, then thee flimsy Doro clamshell phones and now she's on her second Doro smartphone (running a simplified version of Android). They've been easier for her to use than the Nokias/Motorolas and now iPhones/Samsungs that most of her friends seem to manage just fine, but there have still been issues with them. The build quality tends to be terrible. Because they are not high-end devices, the Doro smartphones are underpowered and have poor quality touchscreens. This makes them laggy, unresponsive and difficult to type on, the very opposite of how an easy-to-use phone should be. The latest issue is that her bank's app requires the most recent version of Android for security reasons, but Doro haven't pushed out their mod of it for her phone and I doubt they ever will. All she wants to do is press one button to see her balance, but not even that works. I'm looking at the Emporia brand as a possibility for her next phone, but right now I don't know if they are better or worse than Doro.

[@danny1959]

It's nice to see that this exists. When my late mother started having dementia several years ago, it was very difficult in the US to find just a simple (non-digital) radio with large buttons for her to use, and it cost a lot of money when I found one.

[@jackwilson5542]

It is sad we don't have cure for dementia/Alzheimer's by now to be honest.

[@chemskiesukvol.2covid19isbs]

@@jackwilson5542 drinking and bathing in only distilled water is the cure

[@micksmixxx]

@@chemskiesukvol.2covid19isbs Spoken like a real clown that has ABSOLUTELY no idea what they're waffling on about!

[@jackwilson5542]

@@chemskiesukvol.2covid19isbs That's way to cause it if anything, since distilled water doesn't have the minerals your body needs.

[@chemskiesukvol.2covid19isbs]

@@jackwilson5542 drinking distilled water leaches the heavy metals like aluminium from your body and brain. Aluminium and other heavy metals cause dementia and Alzheimer's mate. Fluoride switches off your blood brain barrier so that those heavy metals like aluminium cause Alzheimer's etc killing you over a few years. Biggest killer of women in Britain is Alzheimer's FACT. Do some research and don't believe what main stream quackery tells you. Good example is with vaccines in which 18 people almost died a few days ago in a huge important cycle race after taking the depopulation sheep dip. Israel lost all bar one cyclist in their team and as they are the most vaccinated country it can't be hidden any more.

[@sucotronic]

Even if only one person was helped by the video, it was worth a fortune for that person and his/her relative. Thank you for covering it.

[@Recordology]

This is so important. Spent a lot of time with an Alzheimer’s patient and your empathy in this area is wonderful.

[@jca111]

I wish I had this 10 years ago. My dad was one of the cleverest people I ever knew. (Helped invent bath sealant, silicon breasts and the 'talc' (but not talc) in airbags that mean they can sit there for 20 years without sticking). But we lost him years before we physically did. I got him what I thought was a very simple radio, but he just couldn't operate it at all. This would have been perfect. He died 5 years ago.

[@ssl3546]

wow your dad is a hero for inventing silicone tiddies, hope he got a medal for it or something.

[@envisionelectronics]

As an accomplished engineer, this is my worst nightmare.

[@Ramog1000]

@@ssl3546 he made airbags better but its the tiddies you focus on, we live in a society I guess.

[@md_vandenberg]

@@Ramog1000 Some people never surpass age 12.

[@jca111]

@@md_vandenberg indeed. It's the airbags I'm most proud of him for. We'll never know how many lives it may have saved.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Remenber the "My First Sony" range for kids....? I've always thought there should be a range of simple products like this, but maybe "My Last Sony" might not go down so well...

[@techur2763]

God that's horrible 🤣

[@user0000user]

My Last Sony 💀

[@aykutcoskun6092]

This gave me a good laugh bro thanks

[@SimonCoates]

...especially if it looked like a headstone.

[@DenisGomesFranco]

If I know me very well, if I had a debilitating mental condition then I would very much appreciate and would laugh a lot after receiving a gift called "My Last Sony" :D

[@simonturner5450]

Alzheimer’s is a very different world as I know when I see my Dad picking up his TV remote and asking me “why isn’t this mobile phone working properly ?” It’s good to see manufacturers walking in other shoes and thanks for sharing this Matt.

[@thebiggerbyte5991]

A really good product. One of my friends was able to follow circuit diagrams for the BBC micro last time I saw him. We met again recently, and he could barely remember what one was. So much technical ability was lost in a short time, but I think he'd be fine with this. My parents were blind/visually impaired, and I think this would be great for people with visual impairment, too. Large, simple high-contrast controls, audible feedback - just what's needed.

[@andrewlane4766]

A very good point about the visually impaired

[@SomeMorganSomewhere]

Yeah, my grandfather was a skilled mechanic for most of his life, could even tell you the prices of what they sold in the service station he used to own 40 years later, but Dementia slowly took all of that away, and eventually took him too...

[@mal2ksc]

Also not too much penalty for pressing the wrong button, so it's totally OK to stumble around until you figure it out.

[@Zulf85]

yeah - you could add Braille to the buttons to make it easier to get used to if it's new too

[@ominousjorts]

It would also be fairly easy if setting this up for someone who is blind/visually impaired to place braille stickers onto the channel preset list and maybe even onto the on and off buttons themselves to further avoid confusion

[@Da40kOrks]

I just want to say thank you for your consistent highlighting of accessibility technology. These are things most people don't know exist and knowing there are so many people out there working hard to create them in the first place is quite inspiring.

[@the.internet]

Yep, someone's life is about to get more enjoyable because of this video and that's just from my purchase. Had no idea this product existed. To think, this video is likely going to enrich HUNDREDS of lives at their probably most challenging time. That alone makes everything our friend Matt does on this channel worth it. My dad, who I lost a year ago, loved this channel and I'd often hear the title music and unmistakable voice in the next room. I have no doubt he'd have taken an interest in this radio too. The last purchase I made for my dad was a DAB radio literally to his hospital bed because he loved the design of the one they had on a ward so much. One of my final memories of him is him tuning that radio just hours before he passed, listening to it right up until the end. Technology brings us so much joy and Matt highlighting products like this one is so damn important.

[@MxArgent]

It's unfortunate how many people seem to struggle with considering this sort of use case, both on a design standpoint and a business/marketing standpoint ("Will it make enough money?"). I've seen a lot of potentially helpful things get relegated to impractically expensive premium products, or be sold as "as seen on TV" dreck.

[@mialemon6186]

It's nice to see a channel highlight these kinds of devices. I have seen more on here than I have ever heard about, and I have a hearing disability! It's considered "obscure" so few people put resources into researching and producing videos about things like this.

[@AlanGill1]

Thanks for showing this Matt. 10 years ago at age 82 my dad had a dual screen pc and could do basic photo editing etc. He sadly died two years ago, but had fallen to dementia some years before that. From the experience myself and my sister had, even something as basic as this would have come to nought. As dad become more impacted, he had no real sense of anything we all take for granted, so I think as basic and simple as this is, it may have a limited time where it is useable in these circumstances. Still we all try anything and everything we think may help, as we should. My very best wishes to anyone who has relatives or friends in the same circumstance.

[@funkmon]

Yeah I was thinking about this myself; but if it's good for even a couple weeks that's excellent, and if the staff in the home can just pop in and press play on Radio 4 then that's good.

[@daylen577]

Dementia really is rough, people's brains just stop functioning entirely even when they still have their personality. Always hurts seeing someone go through that, and we do what we can to make the last bit of time enjoyable for them.

[@xxxggthyf]

@@daylen577 I think dementia is *on the whole* worse for those watching it than those suffering it. One of my closest friends' father (who was also a friend of mine... friend of everybody really) developed early onset Alzheimer. While it was horrible for him initially that phase only lasted at most six months before he stopped understanding what was happening to him. My friend and I, and pretty much everybody else, agree that was when the man we knew and loved started to fade away. A year later he had gone completely although it took another three years before he physically departed. If you haven't seen it there's an excellent KZbin video by Big Clive talking about his mother's dementia. I highly recommend it and "big clive alzheimer's" in Google will take you straight to it. Alternatively come round and see my 20 year old dog, who has the canine equivalent, for evidence that dementia isn't all bad. She's mentally regressed to a puppy and is thoroughly enjoying her last few months on earth as a result. If only her flesh were as willing as her spirit :-)

[@Syncopator]

Yes the problem my mom had with talk audio, is she couldn't follow along well enough to get what was going on. Without short-term memory, trying to follow the news or talk radio was just confusing. The one thing I found that did work-- asking her about her past, childhood or young adult memories of school or family or friends, jobs, etc. Her long term memory was fine, in my mom's case, she had a stroke that took out her short-term memory and long-term back about 20 years. People who had died in the last 20 years she didn't realize weren't still alive, but if I asked her about events and people that she knew before that period, she could recount interesting things I didn't know so we had some conversations where I was able to engage with her and find out things I didn't know about her. Not everyone is the same, my mom didn't have classic Alzheimers, just memory loss that wasn't progressive, but it was pretty debilitating. I don't know what happens to long-term memory with Alzheimers, if as in my mom's case it's still working, best to focus on what still works rather than what doesn't, if you can.

[@charlesballard5251]

Agreed on all points. My mother died young (two weeks and two days before her 58th birthday) so I never had to go through it with her. But my grandmother had been going downhill fast for about 8 years at that point. A few years later my Aunt Pat decided it was time to put her mother (my gran) in a home. At some point she bought her a basic small tv so she could watch in privacy in her room. But every time we'd go visit the tv would be on but the picture would be wonky because she screwed up the contrast/tint and whatever else was available, and maybe the sound would be down because she couldn't figure out how to turn it up, or it was blasting because she couldn't turn it down. At some point we just packed it up and took it with us. A few years later my Aunt Pat started showing signs of Alzheimer's. Then the retirement apartments she was in forcibly put her in a van and drove her out to a facility with a secure wing when she became a "flight risk". She had a television in her new place but she kept hiding the remote and claiming it was stolen by "an old woman". She was the old woman. She kept hiding her remote and after buying her 2 replacements in as many months I said "forget it". Memory problems due to age suck.

[@DoofusZero]

Thank you for doing this video. I lost my dad to dementia 5 years ago and something like this would have been awesome. He went from having a complicated A/V setup with multiple sources to not understanding how his phone works. That was the worst part to watch. Especially since he knew, at least in the beginning, that something was wrong. It makes my cry again just typing this.

[@micksmixxx]

😢

[@GeekDetour]

Thanks for sharing.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

I kow what that's like. My dad doesn't have dementia but does have an issue with controlling a modern smart TV.

[@drew7308]

As somebody who works in an old folks home, you would likely believe how nice it is to take out lots of features that we might use as “normal consumers” since it can get frustrating for people at an advanced age. Seeing something this simple, perhaps paired with one of those clocks that displays the weekday and time in big bold font would be great as a bedside radio unit.

[@Northern5tar]

Just made comment with similar thought. Many elderly have trouble with modern/digital devices. A lot of people just can't keep up with the ever changing technology and "intuitive" menus and what not. Heck I myself am developing a fondness for simplicity. :)

[@DavidPaulMorgan]

@@Northern5tar I wish that the movie disc players could have a default mode of "play the darn film when I put the disc in" mode. the menus are beautiful, but swipe me - sometimes I can't be bothered. 😕

[@BonnibelLecter]

I'm sorry life's given this to you and yours to face, but I'm glad you're finding a solution that will help in some way and that you're sharing this with others who may need it. Great video, Matt.

[@StealthCT]

It's rare to see products that really have thought about all aspects of a user's interaction with a product. The volume control not muting is evidence that they really spent the time on this one. Thank you for sharing this product. We've been on the hunt for years for more accessible tech and it's nice to see more development in this area.

[@pilotkid2011]

Matt, whomever it is who had dementia in your life. I want to extend my full sympathy. I’ve had two relatives with dementia in my life. It’s a difficult process to watch. Even though they may not remember how generous you were in getting them this radio, I and I’m sure many others will appreciate your kindness.

[@jnerdsblog]

"...the person I'm going to give this to." My dude. My heart goes out to you and yours.

[@fenceup07944931177]

There is a real need for this kind of product. I'm seeing my own parents struggle with tech. Especially with on screen menus. Even the TV is becoming a problem. They would get so much out of TV streaming, but as each app has its own menu to learn, on top of the TV it's self. It's too much. Not understanding they have to select the input for the firestick means they fall at the first hurdle. And it's not just a case of not understanding new technology. They used to do this sort of thing with ease.

[@chaos.corner]

You could possibly do something with open source software and a raspberry Pi. Might require sailing the high seas and a bit of management though. I've considered a setup with a set of buttons with his favorite shows for my son but he really could do with less screen-time as it is.

[@MrDuncl]

The remote on my BT Vision box is extremely complicated. I had to look at the instructions when my wife accidentally turned Audio Description on. I once had a Sony CRT with a really clever double sided remote. Once side had all the functions like setup, while the other aide just had the basics like channel selection and volume. A sliding cover similar to some calculators could be put over the side you weren't interested in,

[@pqrstzxerty1296]

I wish Apple make a phone that is a phone as its main feature. Phones these days are cameras.

[@thearousedeunuch]

It's worth showcasing this product, for sure. Thank you for not editing out the sounds of physical button presses and the like.

[@jamesoverholt878]

Oooh the clicking...

[@thearousedeunuch]

@@jamesoverholt878 I feel like it's a part of products that KZbinrs often overlook. It can be a good gauge of a product's quality, and a way to tell if one's own product is broken or not.

[@37racso]

This kind of videos is why I think the Techmoan channel, as well as you personally Matt are so incredible. I can imagine this video was not easy to make for you and the fact you wanted to simply share something that people might find very useful speaks volumes about your character. I've beem your fan since those dashcam reviews, keychain camera videos etc. and this has been and still is genuinely my favourite channel. I'd like to wish you and your loved ones all the best!

[@bobblum5973]

It's a _Techmoan video_ AND a _Public Service Announcement!_ All joking aside, not only is it a quick run-through of the features and a demonstration, but it also features a product that fills a need in the real world. Like many others, I have a family member who could benefit from something like this. I have been looking for something similar, so I appreciate you showing it to us. Please let us know how it works out for the end user! I'm reminded of a similar need for my father, years ago. He'd lost his vision but was still able to do things. We found him a Sony ICF-M350V handheld radio that had five presetable memories for each band, and supported AM (MW), FM, VHF-TV, and special Weather radio. He used it a lot. I still have it, it still works, although I had to fix the AM, and the TV band is useless now that we've gone digital.

[@ncot_tech]

I think we need more technology that claims to "reassure comfort and calm".

[@chaos.corner]

DON'T PANIC!

[@ncot_tech]

@@chaos.corner yes, the radio needs to come with a nice comforting towel.

[@Daijyobanai]

@@ncot_tech Should have filled the USB with Vogon poetry.

[@eekee6034]

Technology which actually does reassure comfort and calm would be nice! XD I have trouble sometimes; in fact, I had more trouble in the past, _especially_ with programs which claimed to be easy to use in the 90s and 00s. There's been a bit more sense in UI design in the past decade. But there's something other than design: responsiveness. Particularly in the past when my stress levels were worse, things which didn't respond instantly to button-presses could be unusable because, by the time they responded, my mind had moved on. That's actually the only reservation I have about the featured radio here.

[@Jordan4Ibanez]

I'm sorry TechMoan. The phone part really got to me. I hope one day we have a cure for these diseases so no one has to ever see this happen to someone they love ever again

[@Renville80]

My dad was a lawyer for most of his working years, and had an eloquent command of the English language. It was hard to see him get to the point where he could no longer speak.

[@cujoedaman]

It would be nice, but sadly not curing diseases is more lucrative than curing them. The sad state of a 'for profit' medical system. I had a customer in my store years ago who came in, bought some clothes and I was the one that rang her up. The next day, my supervisor was asking me (over the radio) about some items I put on hold for a customer. Strange enough for me (sometimes my own memory isn't the best), I remembered the items being described as the ones I rang up and when I went up to the front of the store, that customer I had checked out was there. She was so distraught because she knew that she had put her items on hold and had to come back the next day to get them, I mean she was on the verge of tears and a breakdown when I said "no ma'am, you purchased those items. I'm the one that rang you up". She denied it and said she knew that I was the one that put them on hold (which is why my supervisor asked me about it) and I repeated myself again, being calm and polite of course and there was this moment where the look on her face completely changed, like a light bulb went on and she said "I think you're right, I might have bought them". I described what I did when I rang her up and there was just this sense of relief that I could feel from her. She apologized for making a scene, but I think she realized that something had happened. It was interesting because more Alzheimer/dementia patients don't realize what's happening. I'm hoping she sought out help and has been ok since then.

[@ptonpc]

Thankfully science is progressing. A cure or treatment won't come in time to help most of us just now but there is hope for other generations.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

We do have a cure. It's just that hardcore religious types get in the way of getting this cure legalised.

[@inwalters]

@@TheKnobCalledTone. Hmm I think anti-religious mania has affected you. As far as I am aware there is no "cure" for either dementia or alzheimers.

[@PeterBenedetto]

This would have been perfect for my grandma. She had dementia and Alzheimer’s and I was her caretaker. She loved the radio and listening to spoken word stuff on NPR

[@strawhousepig]

Good luck to you. You may not know it, and this is no platitude, but you've had a positive impact on this world and you deserve all the goodwill you can stand.

[@cunnyfunt30]

My partners step dad is currently in need of something exactly like this, we've been scratching our heads about what music device to get him where he can easily operate and get all his own songs on mp3. This is such an excellent product, well done and thank you so much for pointing this out.

[@Zimiorg]

I'm not disabled or limited in any way but I've ordered it for myself now! It's just a simple radio with only the most necessary buttons - great! Thats what I wanted for so long!

[@scout8145]

That’s awesome! I love when accessible technology makes life easier for non-disabled folks, as well :)

[@UncommonEphemera]

Thank you for showing us this. My late father worked with more primitive predecessors to these products for people with all sorts of special needs and disabilities, and I like to think you two would have been friends. So I was glad to see things like this still being made and innovations still being made in this area. You mentioned this unit was rather expensive - that’s a good example of how electronic devices themselves aren’t what’s expensive anymore, but the human ingenuity behind their design that thinks of all the things like the volume not going all the way down. I hope things work out for the person you’re giving that to, and I hope everyone here agrees with me that times are tough and we’ll still be here if the sorry state of the world takes you away for a week or two here or there. All the best to you and yours.

[@michaelesmith1978]

My wife and I have recently been looking for something just like this, even thinking of a way to make one ourselves! Thank you Matt for showing this and I am sure that our mother who is in her 80's will LOVE this!

[@mozismobile]

This is great. I have a relative who has graduated to a dementia-grade smartphone (four buttons "son" "daughter" "emergency" and "end call") and you've made me think I should see whether something like this radio would be useful.

[@mydogblaze]

Matt, I am a physical therapist assistant, and work with a lot of patients who suffer from memory issues related to dementia or Alzheimer’s. I appreciate you showing this product and giving light to a population of people who suffer from these diseases. Thank you.

[@katemoody1587]

Even if unlabeled, put a usb stick in there with familiar voices (like yours), can even include instructions on how to switch the device to the DAB stuff. The USB stick option makes sense, people with certain kinds of cognitive decline find immediate comfort in the familiar (old songs, their friends/relatives voices etc). Regardless, better than just leaving it blank, which may cause confusion itself.

[@greenaum]

Nah I think if you press it and nothing happens, you'd just try another one instead. The person has to get the idea of the buttons choosing stations or else the whole radio is beyond them. It's only 1 button among the 4, you could stick a red label on it or something if you wanted to. They'd have to press the button in the first place, when they do and get nothing, they're just gonna press another and go back to where they were. They have a nice simple logical design, every control does just one thing, no modes. And the 4 selector buttons are grouped together in a list, their form explaining their function. I think it's pretty good. Pressing a button and hearing their, I dunno, son or grandson pop up babbling on about D - A - B's, whatever they are, is he on the phone? Why is the radio telling me to press it's buttons? I think a simple "doesn't do anything" button is pretty self-explanatory, beneath the 3 that do.

[@IDPhotoMan]

@@greenaum you may be correct, but "logic" doesn't spend a lot of time in dementia patients' minds. My mom died 2 years ago of Huntington's, and there just wasn't much logic there. I think she would be thrilled to hear our voices, no matter what the situation.

[@therealboofighter]

I think that a few tracks saying things like your name is.. you have this many children.... you like these types of foods and so on.

[@mialemon6186]

@@therealboofighter this might work for some but for others would just upset them. Many people with advanced illness aren't really aware anymore and "reminding them of reality" is actually much worse because they get agitated and upset. Same reason why you just go with whatever they're going on about. Like my dad telling me he had to get up to go to work many times. Calmly telling him he was just up too early today would help him to fall back to sleep, but someone saying "You haven't worked in eight years!" would start a serious fit. Nothing is really the best option unless maybe it was a Playlist of old familiar songs or something if they liked music.

[@DavidPaulMorgan]

oh, that's a good idea! or 'talking letters' & gossip from the family. I like it! favourite songs that they remember etc. (strewth, I'm tearing up writing this 🥲 )

[@koobydotnet]

This is fantastic. I looked after my grandfather with dementia for a number of years and this would have been fantastic for him. Perhaps a series on similar accessible tech is on the cards!

[@foorje]

I hope that the recipient can enjoy this for a while to come. Dealing with dementia is very tough on everyone.

[@KevReillyUK]

I'm not normally a fan of products that charge an arm and a leg for a niche target market, but this is a very well thought-out design and arguably worth the premium. I don't think I've ever seen another design quite like this. I might have gone one step further and put a fake clicky on/off control at the leftmost end of the volume control knob, like a proper old-school radio, eliminating the separate On and Off buttons. But maybe that's just me, thinking of my late father who enjoyed his radio and was VERY old-school. Out of curiosity, what happens if you press one of the presets while the radio is off or in standby? Does it turn on? It would be another nice QOL feature if it did, so someone who'd forgotten to press the On button first would still get the expected response from the radio.

[@okaro6595]

Well there is cost on producing such thing an the markets are small. Many people seem not to appreciate that it is a special product. They think that as there are few functions it should be cheaper than normal products.

[@tdata545]

@@okaro6595 Okay, yeah I get that, but here's the counter to that, pretty sure you can exploit some grants and whatever they're called in the UK to bring that price down to offset the difference. Which apparently is there on their website proper, just not on their Amazon page. Don't know why those savings can't transfer over to Amazon, since by now it's super well established. Obviously going through a third party seller (not Amazon, that's like a second party), would negate the savings.

[@mfbfreak]

@@okaro6595 For basic products like radios, the cost of manufacture has gotten far less to do with the price in stores anymore, than back in the days of analog radio. I have worked in a store that did their own china import. Although prices often rise with rising wholesale cost, in the end the price is mostly based on how high you can make the price before people stop buying it, if it is a niche product. For bulk products it's a bit different. The vendor knows damn well that people will shell out a lot of money to keep their aging relatives happy. So that's the main reason why they're so expensive. R&D on this stuff is relatively cheap; radio and amplifier boards are standard and plentiful. It's all a matter of finding a chinese factory willing to produce batches of like 5000pcs and rigorous quality control if you sell them for a lot of money.

[@pqrstzxerty1296]

Is a low batch run hence the increase in price.

[@pqrstzxerty1296]

Its the same for big button telephone, and big button universal remotes. It be mainly bought by charities to give out anyway, and proberly designed and branded by a charity, but made in PRC. RNIB did alot of these special product designs.

[@thepenultimateninja5797]

I'm impressed that only the outside edge of the volume control turns, so the 'Volume' text in the center remains upright. That's a nice touch.

[@anonUK]

They should do a TV along the same lines, with push button channels 1-8 on the "set" itself and on a simplified remote mounted into the arm of a chair, maybe with a "Show me a video/ Show me another video" button for HDD or online access. The remote given to the patient would be as simple as possible, with channel, volume and shuffle video controls. The other remote, kept separately, would give the carer the ability to scrub channels or recorded videos, find/ buy online videos, etc. The only connections would be for the aerial, WiFi for online video access and a USB slot on the back to add a concealed external drive or connect to a PC as and when necessary. Think a flat-screen digital version of a standard mid 1980s family TV, with the smart functionality concealed and only normally accessible via the shuffle videos button.

[@tomsfilms6084]

If only... Sometimes it's the old ideas that are the best.

[@pileofstuff]

Oh man, there's a product that needs to exist. My brother and I spent countless hours trying to talk our dad through how to deal with the TV box that the cable company changed on him. "Oh, it's got more features" they said. "Yeah, but he only needs 4 buttons - the rest just cause him confusion and frustration" we replied.

[@ulrichs.3228]

I think the simplest "programmable" replacement remotes I've seen were down to six buttons or so (vol +/-, channel +/-, power, mute), but that might not even be feasible with modern set-top boxes. My dad is baffled by modern devices, partially because "you're moving a cursor through nested menus" UI is something he's never had to deal with, while many of us don't even notice that anymore, because it's intuitive to us now.

[@SanderSmit77]

Might be good for people with vision problems as well. The buttons are big and you could operate it by just feeling them.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

As a visually impaired person I would love a radio like this! Though mine would be Radio 1, Radio 2 (for when radio 1 is playing boring pop in the day) and 5 live Sports Extra for the Formula 1 😊🌱

[@ShockingPikachu]

@Blind Kid modern accessibility options are certainly a great thing to have!

[@ReLive_Photos]

You just add braile on the labels

[@Sashazur]

It’s hard to tell from the video whether the playlist buttons are each distinguishable by feel, but I would assume so.

[@seanwilson9117]

I wish I would have had this for my father. He was all about the radio especially once he lost his sight and then dementia took hold of him later and it was so hard to find ways to make his life a little more enjoyable.

[@lifeofvinyl3003]

Thanks for doing this video Matt, I’m sure this will be very useful for many folks. Sadly, I lost my dad to Lewy Body Dementia 2 years ago. He always loved music so I took his radio into the care home, but he couldn’t really use it and he ended up taking it apart, as he thought it was broken! I got him a CD Walkman, which he managed to use with a little help from the staff, and he loved it. I’d say “What are you listening to today dad?” 9 times out of 10 he’d say “The Stones!” I Miss him every day.

[@micksmixxx]

😢

[@TheRetroBristolian]

Thanks Matt, as always a good watch. This is something close to my heart dealing with a 96 year old grandmother who has dementia, as you say the product is quite well thought out, my gran has a habit of unplugging things so the point about backup batteries is really valid. take care,

[@losangeleskingsfan15]

I like how loud the volume is. My autistic brother has a speaking device where the volume can't be turned down. That's to make sure the device is always working so he won't get frustrated.

[@shayZero]

This kind of effected me today. I spent an hour on the phone with my Grandad this evening trying to help him set up his printer. It was heartbreaking, he called me my cousin's name, my brother's and my StepDads name while getting angry and scared as to why he couldn't work his computer. He was always a tech minded man and now in his 88th year he is realising he is losing his grip on things. Called my Mum afterwards and she said he's having the test soon. It is such an evil disease, takes everything and leaves nothing. Im so glad these types of gadgets exist.

[@MatSpeedle]

Having seen several family members suffer with and succumb to dementia I can totally understand your motivation to provide some comfort to this individual. Hopefully this can provide them some comfort and respite from this vile diesease. Hopefully you too have the support in place you need Mat. All the best to you and your friend.

[@mikeredman2279]

I'm very grateful for this feature, my father is currently terminally ill with cancer and is very confused and anxious about everything right now making simple tasks very difficult for him. He loves listening to the radio and I've bought him 3 different radios over the last few weeks but each one he somehow can't operate because the buttons are too small or close together or it's to easy to overwrite the presets or get lost in a menu system etc. (You get the idea) but this is the absolutely perfect product that I would not have been aware of had I not followed you and seen it featured. So thank you! My father is very happy with his new radio and so far hasn't got frustrated with it because it has just worked - it's perfect.

[@beauregardslim1914]

Reminds me of the microwave we found for my grandmother-in-law who was in her late 90s. It had a single rotary dial on it and a 5 minute time limit. You might show more of these kinds of devices.

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

dementia and Alzheimer's are indeed very sad, a good example of how we are just brains in the head at the end of the day, but seeing someone you know and love just slowly fade away till you got nothing left but a husk that got nothing to do with who they were... two grandmas went through it for me.

[@Will-fn7bz]

My mother is someone who would do well to have one of these. Dementia has made her days iffy at best. Thank you for the very helpful video.

[@micksmixxx]

❤

[@Punkification101]

Holy shit; this is amazing. I am an IT pro at a mom and pop and I train disabled individuals in assistive technology thru the state and I also have a lot of "senior" clients that need help with various (simple) things like email , shortcuts, and printers. I visited a (long time) client and his wife that just signed over power of attourney and they moved into an old folks home. I wish I had the money to buy this for Mr. Ansel as a gift. This is awesome.

[@RuSrsbro]

You're a good man for helping out, I hope your acquaintance still has some happy days left ahead. Thank you for showing me this exists I know a couple people that have been looking for something with these features and I think this cheques all the boxes.

[@wombleway]

Great video, and thanks for reviewing stuff like this... I'm sure a lot of us have had family members and friends who have become more forgetful as time goes by, and products like this are an absolute godsend. It certainly beats covering up all the switches and buttons on things with tape and paper like we've had to do up to now... My nan loved a good singalong but had Alzheimer's and would've found a normal radio terribly confusing, so something like this would've been ideal. Keep up the good work, and hope you're keeping well! 👍🏻

[@janellelarson9322]

You seemed almost apologetic that this video was all you had for us… I found it fascinating! Thank you for sharing this. I hope that whoever you are giving this to gets some peace and enjoyment out of it.

[@ViewtifulSam]

This seems like a really good product. I'm happy something like this exists and was well executed! I'm sure it will make the days more delightful for the one you're giving this to, Mat.

[@johnlewan1114]

That's a great product. My Dad could have used this, as he had Alzheimers in the end. Thanks for showing this, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. I wish you the best with the person your helping. God bless.

[@funghazi]

Brilliant video, it's a shame such devices are needed, but what a blessing it is that they do exist.

[@eazydraw4681]

Thanks for taking the time to make this ..your videos are really appreciated

[@brando8923]

I love your approach to this video and concept, an amazing gift for someone eho no doubt deserves it

[@twaddington]

This was great. I love seeing well designed products even if they're somewhat niche. It looks like the company put a lot of thought into this one.

[@Youtube_deleted_my_favourites]

this is brilliantly well thought out. My reletive is 96 years old and now blind, this is just what they need

[@wisteela]

I absolutely love everything about this, and I love that you've done this for them. Huge respect to you.

[@keithneal5369]

You're a diamond. That radio is so well thought out, and whoever it is destined for is so lucky to have a guy like you caring for them in this way. I always enjoy your video's.

[@jmd1743]

Would like to see from more channels talk about content that's for our aging parents. I'm a millennial and so I hope that dementia will be cured by the time I reach my parent's age, but my parent's generation unfortunately lucked out.

[@chickenee]

I hate to be a pedant - but I think you've misunderstood the phrase "lucked out".

[@albinklein7680]

My father is 85 and spends more time on youtube than I do...

[@Saavik256]

Something like this would've been great for my late mother. Thank you very much for highlighting accessibility technology. Stay safe and much love from Slovenia.

[@weedkiller87]

Really informative, Mat! It’s really nice of you to help out a friend who has dementia. Thank you for sharing this video! Cheers!

[@EeekItsSnek]

I sincerely hope this brings joy to the person you intend to gift it to. I'm sorry you have to go thru that. It's very hard seeing someone you care about go into an extreme mental lapse and loss of cognitive function. No one should have to go thru that. They are lucky to have someone like you who cares about them ❤️

[@TheSpacepigeon]

Coming off a hyper (T1) and having family members struggle with dementia in the past, you are a fantastic person! I hope the DAB radio machine brings them joy, like you bring us joy.

[@ashleyjones1519]

Love the video. As a tech geek I never get tired of your stuff. But as a carer for vulnerable adults I particularly appreciate the accessible tech videos. That's what makes your channel special for me and the only one I readily recommend.

[@jbizzle8491]

Watching this @ 5am, from America. Kinda made me a bit teary eyed knowing we do our best for our elders to show them how much we care and love them

[@BrentBlueAllen]

This is very thoughtful. I'm sorry you and your loved ones are going through this.

[@hugeshows]

Hi Mat, this is a lovely gesture for your friend. I was thinking maybe you could record a friendly short reminder on the instructions for your friend in your own voice reminding him how to use it and what the stations are. That would be a useful thing for the USB port feature.

[@ThwartHorse84]

Great idea, nice one

[@oc2phish07]

Well done Matt. Thanks for posting this extremely interesting and useful video.

[@TheLtData]

Great product. Very thoughtful of you to share this on your channel and your loved ones that will very likely be happy with it.

[@AlanKPet]

Thank you for sharing such thoughtful tech. This is something I definitely want to share with my community, an active adult community. This could bring so much joy into a person’s life.

[@Leonards-leopard]

Thanks Matt for showing tech like this. My dad is just beginning to show signs of Alzheimer’s and, while he can cope with laptops at the moment he is starting to struggle with modern TVs. I’m sure something like this radio will come in useful for him in a few years.

[@DesDiamondS]

I really appreciate you reviewing products like this! Would love to see more about products made for those with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia.

[@nicwilson6587]

What an excellent product and thoughtfully made, Thank You Mat for the great review, this will help with a loved one I have in mind. Love the channel v much :)

[@kiwi_kirsch]

tears in my eyes when you said they could handle laptops earlier and suddenly, you need to explain them basic telephone things. my grandma had alzheimer's. i do send hugs. brain can malfunction in sooo terrible ways. fighting lifethreatening ptsd myself right now. i had no idea in how terrible a manner brains can get out of order.

[@arbutuswatcher]

My father has Dementia, along with several other serious health issues. We are in the process of getting him placed in an Assisted Living Home, near our home, so that we can regularly look in on him. This has been a very helpful video. Thank You Mat, & Best Wishes for your loved one. :)

[@micksmixxx]

❤ My thoughts are with you, arbutuswatcher, and all those affected.

[@TheObsesedAnimeFreaks]

How can a review of a simple radio make you cry? God bless you man, I don't envy what you are going though. I hope things get better, or at least they don't get to much worse.

[@turtlecatpurrz]

I really appreciate seeing your channel talking about devices for disabled people, and bringing a spotlight to important topics

[@itmakessenseincontext889]

That is such an interesting device! I'm glad you decided to share it. It's something a lot of people could use, but don't know exists, channels like yours sharing them let's them reach people who might need it.

[@FergalByrne]

Thanks for showcasing this one. Parents are just either side of 80 now, so far still in great nick, but they have several friends and neighbours who might need just this.

[@AlainHubert]

Very interesting video, and a neat product to get for someone with cognitive problems. I'm glad to know that this exists and that the sound quality is superb. Thanks for sharing.

[@chronos1157]

My wife is a nurse practitioner with an in-home hospice. I passed her this video and I'm sure it'll help brighten her patients' lives. Course, I had to give her a US link to it.

[@alancordwell9759]

What an excellent well thought out product - and good to know that it exists. Thanks and best wishes to you and whoever you are caring for.

[@AveryChow]

this is super cool! I wish there were more devices that were really simple like this

[@xmodemrm]

Just lost my dad who had Alzheimer’s months after his diagnosis. Wish I had known players like this existed. Thanks for letting people know and my sympathies that you have to face that with someone in your life.

[@allenellisdewitt]

I think this will be of more use and impact that many of the videos that you make, despite how much we all love those videos, too! This is an amazing product for a specific use, and those of us who are in need of such a product... well, now we even know this exists, let alone have been able to see how well it does what it needs to do. Thank you.

[@spamy6661]

Thank you for sharing and revieweing this. I really wish you and the person this radio is for, all the very best.

[@Mrvideosandgames]

It's unfortunate that not only the fourth option can't be changed to a station preset, they even printed "my playlist" there. It could be excellent to load a flash drive with recordings that may be of interest to the listener, such as speech by family members, perhaps taken from old camcorder video and such. "My playlist" simply isn't a suitable descriptor for that. Even so, I think this is a good product. With my grandmother an Amazon Echo Dot was tried, since you can ask it what day it is and all that. I don't think it ever got used. After all, if you can't remember how to speak to the thing, why would you? Using the television got a bit tricky - if we were living 50 years in the past when TVs had simpler controls, maybe it would've been alright!

[@FranNyan]

Thankfully, the design is simple enough that a simple bit of card cut in the right shape can have lines put across it to sub in for the preprinted one. Gives the option to even do one fully printed out for someone who's eyesight's not the best either.

[@Mrvideosandgames]

​@@FranNyan True. It slipped my mind that of course there's nothing special about the cards they provide. I might very well print my own card in large Arial in this situation, especially if there's a template available online somewhere.

[@WeaponsGG]

the car can also be flipped around so tha you can create the lines yourself with a ruler and put whatever you like there. its not a deal breaker but it is a bit of work

[@SteveBrandon]

>"It could be excellent to load a flash drive with recordings that may be of interest to the listener, such as speech by family members, perhaps taken from old camcorder video and such." It's a sweet idea but, if I were in that situation, I'd be cautious about filling a memory stick full of recordings of their loved ones and other people a recipient of this radio know or knew before they were afflicted with dementia or Alzheimers simply because hearing, say, the voice of their late husband or wife might confuse them, depending on how severe their condition is, and they might not even know it's a recording instead of, say, the person talking to them live via phone or intercom. Filling a memory stick with music or comedy sketches they love would be ideal.

[@cujoedaman]

@@SteveBrandon I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn't want anything that has recorded history on it (like dates, places, etc) because if it were playing that same one over and over, it might cause an issue. Not a bad idea, but one you have to think ahead of time of what you put on it.

[@hyzenthlay7151]

Did you try to see if you could store a 4th radio station to that "My Playlist" preset? It is a good idea, very well designed, I just wish "less" didn't always cost more. It's like the accessability controllers for Xbox, great design, very good idea for disabled people to enjoy gaming, but the price isn't that accessable. I wish these were more things like this available, including TVs and such, especially with their remotes. It's all very nice making it all menu based with just a couple of buttons on the remote, but hide those menu buttons, or you know someone will mess it all up.

[@chaos.corner]

I had the same though as you so I tracked down the manual and no, it's not an option. Should be though.

[@x-crisis]

Given the situation, I'd probably put some innocuous "elevator music" or something on there so something would play when you hit that button. Probably make a card so it would show "Music" as the fourth option. Even if they weren't interested in it hopefully it would be less confusing and they'd hit another button to get to the content they wanted.

[@morgansinclair6318]

Thank you for sharing this with us. I hope this does indeed bring joy to your loved one in these days.

[@PaulinesPastimes]

A very thoughtful gift and a lovely act of caring. I sincerely hope it is helpful.

[@MMmmmVarley]

Big mahalo to you Matt. We have a family member in the mid stages of this state, and this is a very timely video indeed. The previous music device has found itself in a few pieces after a bit of a scuffle. Will look into this device and see if we can make it work. Aloha and Mahalo.

[@MikeBucceroni]

Mat this is great. I wish this was around a few years ago as it would have been helpful with a few older family members. Thank you for sharing. (edit: Mat not Matt, sorry)

[@brunohache268]

I absolutely love watching these niche videos! Keep it up when the opportunity comes!

[@fen7662]

I'd just like to say that I really do appreciate these sort of videos. This isn't a situation in my life right now, but it's good to see these sort of products randomly cross my path here. Someday, probably sooner than I'd like to admit, someone I am close to or someone's family member will be having issues like this and I'll be able to remember there are products out there that can help.