Designing Clothes with Dementia in Mind

Innovations to improve quality of life 

As a social enterprise, Mycarematters actively supports small companies and organisations whose mission is to improve quality of life for anyone with long term health issues and their care giver/partner. Sara Smith neé Harris’s own experience of caring for a loved one with dementia led her to create her own clothing range designed to overcome many of the difficulties she had encountered when assisting with dressing and struggling to find stylish but practical alternatives.

The Story of Roaringly Precious

Roaringly Precious is an inclusive clothing company, specifically designing clothing for people living with cognitive and mobility challenges. The company was born when Sara, designer and founder, spent time caring for loved ones facing the challenges of dementia. She became frustrated with the lack of fashionable, easy to wear clothing available to help people maintain their sense of style and independence whilst providing for their specific needs. She decided to use her degree in textiles and costume design to do something about it.

All the Roaringly Precious garments have subtly built-in adaptations to make dressing easier. They use specific sizing rules, with loose fit styles that still fit and flatter the body. Some examples of their adaptations are larger openings without low necklines, easy fastenings and garments that are made to be worn either way so they never look back to front. These changes improve the dressing experience and promote independence and dignity.

‘We believe every person deserves the right to feel good about themselves and the clothes they are wearing.’

They consciously offer a smaller selection of styles but in a wide range of fabric choices so the clothing remains familiar to wear, whilst allowing people choice to express their taste and colourway preferences. They are a person-centred brand, interested in only providing purposeful products that will improve quality of life.

‘We work to support peoples’ abilities and skills, empowering and enabling them so their opinions are heard, their feelings are known, and their style and individuality is seen. We endeavour to provide inclusive clothing that solves issues, eases struggle, and provides people with a sense of comfort and enjoyment.’  Sara Harris

If you’d like to visit Roaringly Precious to see their latest clothing range please click here. And if you’d like to place an order, use Code MCM5 to claim your 5% discount.

Care Charts UK Founder named as one of HSJ’s Innovators 2014

Care Charts UK’s Founder Zoe Harris is delighted to have been included in HSJ’s list of Top Innovators 2014, celebrating ‘those working in the NHS and the wider healthcare sector who have taken innovative approaches that make a tangible difference to patients, their colleagues or wider society’.

The judges worked around some broad criteria: significance, or how big the problem solved has been; impact, or what difference the innovation has made and to what extent it has worked to change things; and support, or how the innovation has fostered and led to other innovation and how it has given inspiration to others.

What the judges said: “In response to her and husband’s experiences, Zoe has invented a great product which is now used by lots of hospitals and care homes.”

Alastair McLellan, Editor of HSJ, said “Our list, we’re pleased to say, is diverse, encompassing everything from top-flight clinicians at the leading edge of their research fields through to frontline staff, patients, managers and simply free-thinking spirits, from within and outside the NHS, who have brought their imagination and creativity to bear. It shows how, for all the NHS can be at times big, unwieldy and bureaucratic, it should be applauded for still allowing space for innovation and “blue sky” thinking…”

Click here for the full list of HSJ Innovators 2014.