Jelly Drops: award-winning sweets that boost hydration

Alzheimer’s Society has supported the development of Jelly Drops, delicious bite-sized sweets, designed to boost health and hydration. Jelly Drops have helped over 80,000 people living with dementia.

What are Jelly Drops?

Jelly Drops sweets are 95% water. They're sugar-free and enriched with electrolytes and vitamins, offering an easy and tasty way to support hydration. 

They were invented by Lewis Hornby, who was inspired by his late grandmother and her love for sweets. Lewis developed bright, raindrop-shaped sweets as an easy way to increase her daily water intake.

Lewis and his team have worked alongside people with dementia, doctors and dementia psychologists to develop their fantastic product.

Lewis and his late grandma Pat tasting Jelly Drops

Lewis Hornby and his late grandmother, Pat

Alzheimer’s Society is delighted to have partnered with Lewis and the Jelly Drops team through our Accelerator Programme during the product's development.

Since launching in July 2020, we have been excited to see Jelly Drops reaching people living with dementia who need them. They're also now available across the US and Canada, as well as here in the UK.

Dehydration and dementia 

Dehydration is a common challenge for older people, and especially people with dementia. Memory problems mean that people living with dementia can often forget to drink enough water.

What’s more, the part of the brain that tells you when you’re thirsty doesn’t always work properly. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion and even hospitalisation.

A woman in a wheelchair is smiling as she's offered some sweets, next to that is a close up shot of the colourful sweets.

Jelly Drops are solid but with a smooth texture - they don’t have a liquid centre or pop when eaten.

How the sweets have evolved

Following insightful customer feedback, Jelly Drops have evolved from their original tray format to the snack pot format which is easier to hold and uses 50 per cent less packaging.

Each pot contains the equivalent of 50ml of water, meaning 3 servings a day delivers a 150ml hydration boost.

Jelly Drops also now contain essential B-complex vitamins to support psychological function and immunity, delivering hydration and a boost of vitamins via the same innovative format.

The water sweets come in six fruity flavours: orange, peach, blackcurrant, strawberry, lemon and raspberry. They're solid but with a smooth texture - they don’t have a liquid centre or pop when eaten.

Colin Capper, Associate Director of Evidence and Participation at Alzheimer's Society said,

"It’s wonderful to see how the Jelly Drops team have continued to improve their offering, helping people living with dementia stay hydrated."

"Snackpots make Jelly Drops more affordable, eco-friendly and accessible, which will hopefully help to reach even more people in the future."

A team of people sit together for a group photo in their office

The Jelly Drops team.

Order Jelly Drops today

You can buy Jelly Drops on the Alzheimer's Society shop through the link below. Or, get a free trial when you start a discounted subscription through the Jelly Drops website.

Buy Jelly Drops

216 comments

We have an Order of Catholic Nuns here in New Orleans who care for the dying in their homes. Getting them to take enough fluids is often a struggle. I wonder if your product would aid them as well? I know they give some of their patients candy to suck on to help them.

These sound like a fantastic idea, I’ve heard about these for quite a while and looking forward to when I can buy some

Wow what a great innovative idea! Can dementia patients who have diabetes take these Jelly water drops too? I would certainly be interested in doing a free trial of this product for my mother in law.

I too have difficulty getting my Mum to drink she is still able to chew little pieces of soft food i now g iv e her water Mellon but would like to try jelly drops when the are available

I am a community carer and I hope to see thses come out very soon. Hope to hear from you soon.

Really excited for when these are on sale! My granddad would benefit from these massively as well as all the lovely elderly people I work with! Sometimes it’s a struggle to get people to keep their fluids up and sadly I can’t always be there to pester them due to being busy with other patients / jobs! Amazing idea!!!!!

Is it safe for diabetics to eat helly drops???

I would to have some. My wife would certainly benefit. Paul

Great idea,I am a carer for a living, the elderly in general struggle to keep hydrated, the size is an issue, and being diabetic also, but what a brilliant young man .....

I think the Jelly drops are a fantastic idea, but please consider their sugar content. Elderly patients are at a higher risk of dental caries, especially in care facilities. Frequent sugary snacks may increase the amount of caries in these already frail patients.

What a super idea - and not just for people with dementia. We were always trying to get my elderly mother to drink enough.

This sounds like a fantastic aid for people at risk of dehydration. My husband was hospitalised last year with it. Although probably not something that should be considered a replacement for liquids it is certainly an innovative bonus. It will also be useful for people like my husband who suffers from drooling and was advised to suck sweets to help to control it. These sound like a more healthy way to achieve this.

As an oral health Improvement Specialist I too am concerned about the sugar content of this product. Whilst I completely understand the issue of low fluid I risks and the issues surrounding this. Patients with dementia often have very dry mouths resulting in more risk of tooth decay and gum disease along with other oral conditions. Some dementia medications also cause dry mouth so I am pleased that you are aware of these risks and considering them as part of the development of this product. I understand the huge risk for patients when fluid intake is reduced and the impact this can have.
Also oral care can be neglected in care homes due to lack of training or support for staff and absence of oral assessments or documentation of oral care. With the release of “Smiling Matters” we hope this will start to change.
Let’s use this as an opportunity to raise the profile of the importance of good oral health for everyone.

What a brilliant idea. This would be very helpful in Australia where we have extreme heat!

Great idea and a wonderful source of liquid intake but .... my 95year old mother with advanced Alzheimer’s can no longer use her dentures so the jelly drop needs to melt in the mouth to avoid choking.