This page is part of PrimeCarers' guide to dementia care. It answers one question: what a dementia clock shows, why it helps, and how to find or pay for one.
The short answer
- It shows four things, not just the timeThe day and the part of the day, spelled out in words, alongside the time and the date, so nothing has to be worked out or remembered.
- It helps because reading a clock face needs a skill dementia affectsWorking out the position of two hands on a face needs visuospatial processing, which dementia affects, which is also why doctors use a clock-drawing test to help assess the condition.
- Ask before you buy: a loan or a VAT discount may be availableSome councils and memory services loan out a clock rather than a family having to buy one, and VAT relief means you do not pay the 20% VAT, cutting the price by around a sixth.
- Where it sits and how consistent it stays matters as much as the clock itselfMoved to a new wall or reset to a different format, it stops doing its job. Left alone, it becomes something to check without having to ask anyone.
Checked against Dementia UK, the Alzheimer's Society and gov.uk, September 2026.
What it is
What a dementia clock shows, and how it differs from an ordinary clock
Most dementia clocks look like a small digital photo frame rather than a clock. Instead of hands and dots, the screen cycles through the same four pieces of information, in the same order, every time it's looked at.
A dementia clock, sometimes called a day clock or an orientation clock, is built around one job: telling someone at a glance exactly where they are in the day and the week, without needing to work anything out or ask anyone. Dementia UK lists clocks that "clearly display and/or speak the day, date, time, and time of day" among the everyday aids it recommends, and that description matches almost every model sold.
- 1The day, written in full. A whole word to recognise, not an abbreviation like "Sun" to work out.
- 2Morning, afternoon, evening or night. A number alone can't answer whether it's 7 in the morning or the evening. A word does.
- 3The time, in large plain digits. Reading a number off a screen is easier for most people with dementia than working out two hands on a face, which needs visuospatial processing, a skill dementia affects. It is why doctors use a clock-drawing test to help assess the condition.
- 4The date, including the year. Useful after a stay in hospital or a move, when the date is easy to lose track of.
Some models also speak the display aloud, or link to a separate hub that reminds someone to eat, drink or take medicine at set times through the day. Most families start with a plain display like the one above.
Why it helps
Why the day and the time become hard to hold onto
Needs rarely arrive all at once. If several of these have become common in the last month or two, a clear display of the day and time is worth trying before anything more involved.
Has any of this happened recently?
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Time and place
Around the house
You
Dementia affects short-term memory, so a question asked and answered a minute ago can feel unasked again. It also affects visuospatial processing, the skill involved in working out where two hands are pointing on a clock face; that is part of why doctors use a clock-drawing test as one way of helping to assess the condition. A digital display removes both problems at once: there is no memory needed to know what day it is, and no hands to interpret, only words and numbers to read. Repeated questioning is also one of the changes covered in signs that dementia is getting worse, if what you are noticing goes beyond the time and the day.
Choosing one
Getting one free, borrowing one, or paying less for one
A dementia clock is a piece of equipment before it is anything else, so it is worth asking whether one can be borrowed before you buy.
- 1
Ask for an occupational therapy assessment first
Often freeAsk the GP for a referral to an occupational therapist, or the memory service if your relative is already known to one. An OT assessment looks at what would help with daily living, and Dementia UK notes that some local councils and memory services loan out smaller items, including calendar clocks, rather than a family having to buy one. A council needs assessment covers what else this route can open up. - 2
Check the display before you buy
A few minutesDay, date, time and time of day are the basics on almost every model. Look for large text that reads clearly from across the room, a brightness that suits the room it will sit in, and settings that can be set once and left alone rather than needing regular adjustment. - 3
Ask about VAT relief
Saves around a sixth of the priceIf your relative has dementia or another long-term condition, retailers who sell disability and dementia equipment can usually sell certain items VAT-free under HMRC's rules for chronically sick or disabled customers. Not paying the 20% VAT that a standard buyer pays on the price brings the cost down by around a sixth. You declare the condition to the supplier rather than to HMRC, usually by ticking a box or giving a name and condition when you order; ask before you pay if it isn't offered automatically. - 4
Buy from a specialist retailer if nothing can be borrowed
If you do need to buyThe Alzheimer's Society's shop sells a range of day and reminder clocks built for this, alongside its VAT relief scheme for eligible buyers. Whichever model you choose, look for one with a battery backup or an internal memory, so a power cut doesn't reset the display and cause the confusion it was bought to prevent.
Using it well
Getting the most from it once it's on the wall
A dementia clock does the most good when it is treated as a fixed point in the room, not an object that gets moved, reset or fiddled with.
What helps
- Put it where your relative spends most of the day, in clear view from their usual chair
- Keep the format, language and brightness exactly as they were set up
- Use it as the anchor for a spoken routine, such as "it says morning, let's get you washed and dressed"
- Check it after a power cut or the clock-change weekend, in case the display has reset
- Give it more than a day or two before deciding whether it has helped
What tends to undo it
- Move it to a different wall or room without a clear reason
- Switch between the 12-hour and 24-hour format to see which is easier
- Expect it to settle agitation at a particular time of day on its own; that pattern is usually a separate condition called sundowning rather than a lack of orientation
- Rely on it alone once nights, rather than the time of day, have become the harder problem
- Give up on the strength of one difficult first day
Questions
Questions families ask about dementia clocks
No. Anyone can buy a dementia clock, and many families do before a formal diagnosis, simply because time and date confusion has become a daily problem. A diagnosis, or another long-term condition, only matters if you want to claim VAT relief on the price.
Sometimes. Dementia UK notes that some local councils and memory services loan out smaller aids, including calendar clocks, as part of an occupational therapy assessment, rather than a family having to buy one. It isn't guaranteed everywhere, so it is worth asking the GP or memory service for a referral before buying.
For most people with dementia, yes. Reading a number off a screen does not need the same visuospatial skill as working out the position of two hands on a face, and that is a skill dementia affects, which is why a clock-drawing test is used to help assess the condition. A digital display also removes the need to remember what day it is, since the word is simply there to read.
You declare the condition to the retailer rather than to HMRC. Most specialist suppliers, including the Alzheimer's Society's shop, ask you to tick a box or give a name and medical condition when you order, either online or by phone. The relief applies because the person is chronically sick or disabled under HMRC's rules, and it means you do not pay the 20% VAT that a standard buyer pays, bringing the price down by around a sixth.
Wherever your relative spends most of their time and can see it without turning or standing, usually the living room or the end of the bed. It should stay in that spot and keep the same settings once it is set up; moving it or changing the format undoes the routine it was there to support.
Yes. A carer visiting for personal care or companionship can check the display is right, use it to talk through the morning or evening routine, and notice if it stops matching reality. Every carer on PrimeCarers has interviewed online and had their identity, right to work and an enhanced DBS on the Update Service checked before they appear; carers are self-employed rather than employed by PrimeCarers. How to make someone with dementia happy day to day has more on building a routine around small, familiar things.