People living with dementia may experience agitation, anxiety, and a sense of isolation. Too frequently these experiences are managed using harmful medications, when in many cases, more compassionate interventions are possible and effective. Two UK start-ups and alumni of the Alzheimer’s Society Accelerator Programme, HUG by LAUGH and Milbotix, are teaming up to redefine what compassionate care can look like with innovations that are based on comfort, connection, and understanding.

Introducing SmartSocks®COMFORT

Communication can be challenging for people with dementia. Difficulty expressing wants and needs causes distress which often escalates into agitation and other forms of distressed behaviour, such as pacing and wandering. SmartSocks®COMFORT from Milbotix uses sensorised socks to track a person’s calmness, mobility and activity, alerting caregivers to heightened anxiety or an elevated fall risk. Worn comfortably on the foot, the socks provide a non-intrusive way to understand and respond to an individual's needs before they become overwhelming or dangerous.

The power of a HUG

HUG by LAUGH is a therapeutic device that was designed by researchers at Cardiff Metropolitan University to provide joy and companionship. With its soft, weighted arms, a gentle electronic heartbeat, and the ability to play familiar music, HUG helps to soothe and calm. For over 5,000 people worldwide, HUG has been a source of comfort, helping to reduce agitation, improve sleep, and even make difficult transitions, like hospital visits, much easier. The outstanding impact of HUG has been recognized by AHRC, and HUG is endorsed by Alzheimer’s Society.

A collaboration that tells a deeper story

The partnership between HUG by LAUGH and Milbotix advances a more compassionate and person-centred model of care. Integrating these two innovative products, HUG and SmartSocks®COMFORT, together brings important benefits for care professionals, helping them provide care that is more responsive and better tailored to an individual’s needs. Crucially, it may reduce the use of restrictive pharmacology for managing agitation which presents the risk of severe side effects and sometimes accelerates the person’s decline.

Together, HUG and SmartSocks® offer a holistic solution to manage stress, reduce anxiety, and improve care outcomes for those living with dementia. We are excited to showcase this collaboration at the Care Show, where we will also explore how our combined technologies can benefit people with autism, learning disabilities, and those in palliative care.

Find us at the Care Show

Join HUG by LAUGH and Milbotix at Care Show stand O34 at the Birmingham NEC to learn more about our shared vision for compassionate, evidence-based care. Demonstrations will be available. For more information on HUG, visit www.hug.world. For more information on SmartSocks®COMFORT, visit www.milbotix.com.