John Barber is an 84-year-old widower who has been diagnosed with dementia.

His daughter Jacqueline was in despair because he was forgetting to take his vital daily medication.

Worried about his well being, she sought help and her father received an electronic, programmable pill dispenser as part of a pilot project being run in the West Midlands.

As well as being an audible reminder to tell him to take his medicine the dispenser has a movable carousel with chambers that contain the precise amount of pills to be taken at a specific time.

The device also connects to his personal alarm and alerts a carer by telephone if John fails to take his tablets.

This bit of technology has made John's self medication routine much more efficient, restored some organisation to his day to day life and provided peace of mind to his daughter.