A voice reminder for dementia

Calmer days for the person you care for.
Peace of mind for you.

Press one button and a kind voice says the time, the day, and what's happening today. No screen to read, no app to learn.

“Built by a family who needed it for their own mum.”

An older woman listening to RemindMeVoice in her armchair

Voice sample, spoken aloud in a calm voice: “Hello Margaret. It’s early afternoon. Today is Tuesday. The time is two o’clock in the afternoon. Your daughter Sarah is visiting at four o’clock, in about 2 hours.”

Try a custom voice for free →

Best suited for

Someone in the mild to moderate stages of dementia, living at home (alone or with a partner), for whom reading a clock — or making sense of a written calendar — has become difficult.

Why we built this

RemindMeVoice is a voice reminder device built for someone you love with dementia — for families who want spoken reminders without a screen, a wake word, or a complicated smart speaker setup.

Many families want a simpler way to help a loved one living with dementia stay oriented during the day. Phones and devices are too complicated. For many people with dementia, even reading a clock or a simple display can become difficult — the information is there, but making sense of it isn't always easy.

RemindMeVoice removes that barrier entirely. There's nothing to read. Just press a button and hear what matters today — a calm, friendly voice reads out the time, the day, any plans, and helpful prompts.

Family members manage the calendar remotely — no need to be there in person to update reminders. It's designed for calm, everyday support at home.

Who's behind this?

I'm Michael, based in Cambridge, UK. I have a Computer Science PhD and have spent two decades in tech and research. I've built assistive tech before this — it's an area I really care about.

More importantly: my mother lives with dementia. RemindMeVoice started because the existing tools — phones, apps, smart speakers, even the dedicated dementia day-clocks — kept failing her. A button on her kitchen table that just talks worked. That's when I knew it was worth building for others.

How it works

Three simple steps — nothing more is needed.

1

You add plans

Keep their calendar up to date in a simple companion app — from any phone or laptop.

2

Button is pressed

Your relative presses the button once — that's the only thing they need to do.

3

A voice reads today

A calm voice reads the time, the day of the week, today's plans, and any helpful prompts.

What it helps with

Time and day

Always starts with the time and day — a gentle daily orientation.

Today's plans

Appointments, visits, and reminders read aloud in plain language.

Helpful prompts

Customisable messages: bedtime nudges, reassurance, and more.

Peace of mind alerts

Get notified if the button hasn't been pressed in a while — quiet reassurance that all is well.

Managed remotely

Family updates the calendar from anywhere — no visit needed.

One-button simplicity

No apps, no menus, no remotes. Just one button to press.

Why not just use…?

Honest comparisons with the other things families try.

…a dementia clock or day clock?

Dementia clocks, day clocks and reminder clocks help many families — until reading the screen itself becomes a struggle. RemindMeVoice speaks instead, so it can still be useful when reading a display has become difficult. And family can update prompts remotely — no driving over to change a setting. (Read on: see our full guide to dementia clocks.)

…a smart speaker?

Smart speakers — and newer "AI voice companions" — ask the person to remember a wake-word (e.g. "Alexa"), formulate a question, and wait. That's exactly the part dementia erodes. RemindMeVoice asks for one thing: press the button. Nothing to remember, nothing to say. (For more depth: see our full guide to Alexa and smart speakers for elderly parents.)

…an AI companion device?

Conversational hubs add shopping lists, chat, music and check-in dialogues. At the moderate stage that breadth becomes confusing, not helpful. We deliberately do one thing — orientation, reminders, and peace of mind — so it keeps working as things change.

…a tablet app?

Tablets need charging, Wi-Fi troubleshooting, and screen interaction. That's a lot of cognitive load. With RemindMeVoice, the family gets the app — the person with dementia gets a button.

When this may not be the right tool

Worth being honest about — for some situations, RemindMeVoice isn't the right answer.

RemindMeVoice is probably not right if:

  • You need emergency monitoring or a personal alarm
  • A missed reminder would create serious medical risk
  • Your relative is no longer able to form or keep a simple button-press habit
  • There's no reliable Wi-Fi, or no family member able to manage reminders remotely
  • You need fall detection, wandering alerts, medication safety monitoring, or urgent care support

RemindMeVoice is designed for routine support, reassurance, and daily orientation. It is not a medical device, an emergency system, or a replacement for care.

Try a custom voice — free

See if it fits before committing to anything.

The caregiver app is free to use. Create an account, set up the voice, listen to a sample, and add a few reminders — the easiest way to see whether RemindMeVoice is right for your family before buying anything.

If you decide it fits, you can buy a button from inside the app — it's posted to your door, ready to set up.

Try a custom voice for free →

No card needed · No commitment · Delete your account any time

Pricing

Simple: buy the button, then a small monthly fee.

  • £79 — the button (one-off) Includes the device and your first month of service.
  • £14.99 / month — after your first month Covers all your buttons for one person. Cancel any time.

The monthly fee starts when you set up your button — not when you buy. Need more than one (e.g. kitchen and bedroom)? Add up to five for the same person, at the same price.

Want to build something yourself?

If you're comfortable with Home Assistant, the same family setup is also published as DIY guides — including a simple TV setup for elderly parents that replaces the remote with six coloured buttons.

DIY voice reminder button →

Build a Home Assistant voice reminder using Google Calendar and the HA Voice PE.

DIY TV buttons →

Build colour-coded TV buttons for someone who struggles with normal remotes or smart-TV menus.

Dementia clock vs voice button →

Understand when dementia clocks help, and when spoken reminders may work better.

Alexa for elderly parents →

An honest UK guide to Alexa, Echo Show and smart speakers for elderly parents — what works, and where it stops.

View all DIY guides →

Questions

Who is this for?
RemindMeVoice is designed for families supporting someone living with dementia at home. The person with dementia uses the button; their caregiver manages the calendar remotely.
What is a voice reminder device?
A voice reminder device is a small, simple gadget designed to read the time, the day of the week, and today's plans aloud to someone who finds clocks or screens hard to read. It's typically operated with a single button and managed remotely by family. RemindMeVoice is one example, designed for people living with dementia.
What does the button actually do?
Pressing the button plays a spoken summary: the time, the day of the week, any plans or appointments for today, upcoming events, and helpful prompts (like "your daughter is visiting this afternoon"). It's all read aloud in a calm, natural voice — nothing appears on a screen.
Do I need to buy a device?
Yes. RemindMeVoice comes with the button device (£79, one-off), which is everything you need to get started. There are no hidden extras.
Can a caregiver manage reminders remotely?
Yes — that's central to how it works. Caregivers update appointments and reminders using a simple companion app from their phone or laptop. No complex setup needed. Changes are reflected the next time the button is pressed.
Is this available now?
Yes. The app and voice setup are open today — sign up free at app.remindmevoice.com and try the voice. When you're ready, buy a button from inside the app and we'll post it to your door.
How much will it cost?
£79 for the button (one-off) — that includes the device and your first month of service. After that, £14.99/month covers all your buttons for one person, and you can add up to 5 at the same price. The monthly fee only starts once you set up your button, and you can cancel any time.
How is this different from Alexa, an Echo Show or an AI voice companion?
All of those — including newer "AI companion" hubs aimed at older adults — rely on a wake-word and a conversation. The person has to remember the magic phrase, formulate a question, and wait. For someone with dementia, that's exactly the part that gets difficult. RemindMeVoice has one button, one purpose, and nothing to learn. It also can't be accidentally activated by background conversation, and it deliberately doesn't try to do shopping lists, music or chat — because at the moderate stage that breadth becomes confusing, not helpful.
How is this different from a dementia clock or day clock?
Dementia clocks, day clocks and reminder clocks are great until reading a screen itself becomes a struggle. RemindMeVoice speaks instead, so it can still be useful when reading or interpreting a display has become difficult. It also tells your relative what's happening today — not just the date — and family can update those prompts remotely without driving over. (For a deeper look: dementia clock vs voice button.)
What does the £14.99 a month pay for?
Cloud-managed reminders that you update from anywhere, quiet-day alerts to family, app updates, support, and secure backups. You can cancel any time — there's no lock-in.
What if they forget the button is there?
It's the most common worry, and the honest answer is: placement matters. The device is designed to sit somewhere they already look — next to the kettle, by their chair, on the bedside table — with a soft glow that draws the eye. The button itself is large and tactile so it invites a press. From the caregiver app you can also trigger a friendly voice prompt remotely ("Mum, press the button to hear today's plan"). And if a whole day goes by without a press, you'll know — that's what the inactivity alert is for. This is also why we recommend RemindMeVoice for the mild-to-moderate stages, where forming the habit of "press the button when I'm unsure" is still realistic.
Does it need Wi-Fi?
Yes — RemindMeVoice connects over your relative's home Wi-Fi for the voice and to stay in sync with the calendar and reminders you set. If the broadband drops, the device may not be able to sync reminders or generate speech until the connection returns. Some families choose broadband with 4G backup for extra resilience, but it's not required for ordinary use.
Is it always listening? What about privacy?
No. RemindMeVoice has no camera and no always-on microphone. The device only does something when the button is physically pressed — that's it. There's no passive listening, no recording of conversations, and nothing watching the room. Your relative's home stays their home.
Does the device have a microphone?
We want to be upfront: yes, the hardware has a microphone — but RemindMeVoice never uses it. There's no wake word, no voice assistant, and nothing that listens to or records the room. The device only speaks, and only when the button is pressed. For extra reassurance, the device also has a physical switch that turns the microphone off completely.
Can I get help paying for it?
For some families, yes. Attendance Allowance is a non-means-tested benefit that can be spent on assistive technology like RemindMeVoice. Disabled Facilities Grants from your local authority may also contribute — ask your local adult social care team. We can't promise what you'll be entitled to, but it's worth a conversation.
What if my relative's dementia gets worse?
A physical button may remain usable longer than screen-based tools for some people, since tablet apps and conversational AI depend on reading or speaking. When the button stops being used, the inactivity alert tells you — so you find out from the device, not from a missed visit. RemindMeVoice is designed for the mild-to-moderate stages, and you can cancel any time when it's no longer the right tool.
What happens if my relative passes away?
We're sorry — and we'll make this easy. Email us and we'll cancel the subscription on the spot, with no notice period and no awkward conversations. You're welcome to keep, return or donate the device; we can put you in touch with families on the waiting list if you'd like it to go to good use. No admin from you beyond a single email.
Is this a medical device?
No. RemindMeVoice is a voice reminder tool for everyday support at home. It is not a medical device, does not provide emergency monitoring, and is not a substitute for professional care.