Jelly Drops are an ‘innovative’ sweet made up of 95% water and electrolytes. Hornby came up with the idea after his Grandma Pat, who had dementia, was admitted to hospital with dehydration.
Hornby spent a month in his Grandma’s care home, working with doctors, dieticians and speech therapists to come up with the new product. Each try contains 24 jellies which is equivalent to 300ml of water. The flavours include strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, orange and lemon & lime.
The Jelly Drops aim to allow people with dementia to boost their water intake independently and with dignity.
Hornby said: “The initial response to the product has been fantastic - we are very excited to supply the 50,000 people on our waiting list. We have seen a huge demand from both care homes and the families of people with dementia.
“It’s incredible to know that we can help those living with dementia and give comfort to their families and loved ones. It’s been heart-warming to hear the feedback from our first customers; they enjoy Jelly Drops as much as Grandma did.”
According to research 37% of older people acutely admitted to hospital are dehydrated and it is predicted that by 2050 approximately two million people in the UK will have dementia.
Jelly Drops received a £100,000 research and development investment from the Alzheimer’s Society. In return the company will donate 1% of its profits to the charity.
Colin Capper, head of research development from the Alzheimer’s Society, added: “Jelly Drops was one of the first innovations to be accepted into our Accelerator Programme, and we’ve been thrilled to support its journey to a widely-available product which is making a real difference to people with dementia.
“Original products and designs like Jelly Drops are key to helping overcome the everyday challenges faced by people with dementia, challenges that have been further amplified by the pandemic.”