Ishanya Anthapur: I don’t like to be bored. That’s usually when my mind starts racing, I get restless, or worst case, I start having negative thoughts and self-doubt creeps in. I don’t know about y’all, but it’s really not a pleasant experience.

The reality is that in many care settings, people with dementia spend hours doing nothing. That happens for a variety of reasons, but the hours are real. And that boredom and discomfort shows up as agitation, or as what gets called bad behavior. Our instinctive, systemic response is to try to wrangle it in, try distraction, or fall back on medication. But is there an easier way to create meaningful engagement, and to hold on a little bit longer to that mental connection?

This is AI-Powered Caregiving, and I’m Ishanya Anthapur from Zemplee, where we’re thinking deeply about how technology, AI, design and data can support aging with dignity. Today I’m joined by Angela Fairhurst, founder and CEO of Geri-Gadgets, a company creating sensory tools designed to calm and engage people living with dementia.

Angela’s journey is especially unique. She started in TV, storytelling and production, but through her own caregiving experience she transformed that creativity into something deeply physical, therapeutic and entrepreneurial. Angela, welcome to AI-Powered Caregiving.

Angela Fairhurst: Thank you for such a nice intro. I loved it. I loved your lead, it was great.

Ishanya Anthapur: We love our guests. So I’m curious — you reinvented your career, from working in TV and production in Hollywood to becoming a healthcare entrepreneur. How did you make that shift happen?

Angela Fairhurst: I don’t think any of us do it on purpose. My mom got dementia, and as an executive in charge of television production, I was a problem solver. So there was a problem, and I was determined to solve it. It actually took a while.

My mom was diagnosed incorrectly with Alzheimer’s when she had Lewy body dementia. This is back in 2010, a long time ago, and it wasn’t until 2014 that she was properly diagnosed. That wild ride in between was antipsychotic medications, because of her behaviors — and they just make things worse. I mean, really worse. Those turned into seven hospitalizations. It was quite a ride.

Yet when she was finally properly diagnosed, the behaviors still existed. From fear, from not being able to communicate, from boredom too, all of it. She would bite sometimes and kick sometimes, because she was so frightened. That’s where it started.

The turning point was when I saw a sensory need — she was rubbing shiny magazine paper between her fingers. And I thought, my God, I’m going to start bringing toys. So I brought all these toys, and they’re from the children’s department. They’re infantilizing. They’re made for children, or they’re too complicated, or toxic when put in the mouth, or just not washable. I tried fabric. I tried everything.

Ishanya Anthapur: I’d love to get a look at the products. I’ve read that some just don’t work — they’re not washable, or they’re fabric and they break, or they’re putty or clay and they dissolve. So what gave you the idea to build Geri-Gadgets as it is?

Angela Fairhurst: Here’s the fidget bucket. At the beginning I brought one of those buckets that have shapes for little kids — a triangle, a circle. Well, my mom had a clenched hand, so getting the shape exactly into the hole it fit in was too complicated. But the dopamine created by the curiosity of opening the bucket made me think, I love the bucket idea. What can I put in there that’s safe? Because crayons turned into lipstick for my mom. I know some people don’t mouth things, but a lot of them do.

And there’s the filth that happens with fabrics and stuffed animals, or materials like wood that are too hard on skin that gets so delicate. Even the fidget toys I was finding had goo inside, and you’d buy a cheap one, or even a seven-dollar one, and it lasts one session.

So I found the answer in my own kitchen. At the time, in 2014, silicone was starting to be used as a material in the kitchen. I had a silpat and a spatula and a pot holder, and I cut the pot holder down to about this size and took it to my mom. She started patting on it. She loved the sound. And then when we threw it back and forth like a frisbee, everything changed. It was so heartwarming, and I thought, okay, now I know I’m onto something. The sales guy next to me, Jeremy — he’s since passed on, otherwise I’d have a co-founder — we used to ideate every Saturday. He said, oh my God, I can’t believe how this works.

So the fidget items were first. Some of them look familiar — we all know poppers, but here are high quality ones made for us. This triangle shape is really good for exercising the hands and arms. This click chain makes a great sound, because we had it engineered so it’s not going to pull apart and so the sound reminds you of cracking ice, or walking on fall leaves. It also keeps somebody busy. I’ve seen somebody do it like horseshoes, and that was suggested by someone with dementia, which is pretty awesome. There’s no limitation to someone’s creativity.

This is the tugger — elastic and straws. It’s fun for exercising the hands and arms. One person can do it, two people can do it, right or left handed, or one handed if you have to. And it bounces. Then there’s the squishy egg, which I call the Goldilocks: not too big, not too small, not too hard, not too soft. There’s no goo inside, so it’s bite-proof. Everything in the Geri-Gadgets line is dishwasher safe, mouth safe, super durable and high quality — ready for an institutional environment, so it’ll never wear out.

Ishanya Anthapur: What stands out to me is that you started by trying children’s toys. Some people might say, there are already toys on the market, I can just go get kids’ toys. But these gadgets are designed for people who have already lived a full life. They have memories of interacting with things, memories to draw on. Kids’ toys are different — you’re trying to teach a child something, it’s a new experience out of that toy. So it’s really important to design with the older population in mind. These aren’t just kids’ toys made more durable. They’re designed with intention for someone who has lived a life, someone with a clenched hand, someone strong enough to poke through one of those balls.

Angela Fairhurst: It’s true. And you’re right — they’re bright for the aging eye, but they’re not primary colors. It’s very specific, so that you see they’re bright and attractive but not childish. I was really about giving that respect. My mom was a school teacher. You hand someone a teddy bear — look, I like stuffed animals too, but some people will just throw them out, because they’re thinking, I’m not a kid. They know they’re still in there.

Everything is intentional. My uncle was a florist in Los Angeles where I grew up, so I did the flower bucket. It’s bright yellow and pretty, and they’re tulips. I say they’re symbolic because tulips rise with the sun. There’s no wire inside. And then there’s the vase, so people can make an arrangement. What’s beautiful and different is that it’s about having multiple things to do. It’s super durable, and they can be silly with it — things can go in and out of the vase. It’s easy to have more fun with it than what’s expected.

That’s also the beauty of Geri-Gadgets: they’re failure free. There’s no wrong answer. This is art. My mom made a crayon into lipstick, and that was dangerous. She used to paint — acrylic, watercolors. She was so brilliantly talented, and she still wanted to express some artistic creativity. You can do that with things like this.

And the third one is the shapes bucket. I was inspired by Tetris — remember Tetris? Well, Tetris is an electronic game. So there are two of every color, and texture is really important, because it’s soothing. There are stars on one side, like the logo, and then a smooth surface. There are two of everything, so there’s no wrong answer with any of these pieces. If somebody is further along, they’ll lay it flat, maybe match a color or a shape. If somebody is more dexterous, they can create a structure — these all sit on an angle, so you can build a house, play like dominoes, anything that’s possible.

It’s also awesome for multi-generational interaction, or group activities. How long can you make it, how tall can you make it, what kind of shapes can you create? Endless possibilities, and a sense of accomplishment no matter what you do. And even if somebody just puts it in their mouth, that’s engagement. That counts.

I didn’t know when I started that silicone is the closest material to human skin. So it soothes anyway. It calms immediately. And then when you engage with somebody, even for fifteen minutes, you give them those love and hug chemicals — oxytocin and serotonin. That can last a couple of days. So a fifteen-minute interaction is beneficial beyond the session. They can stay happy and have some quality of life a little longer, and we don’t have to be present for every single moment of it. But if we get them started, it’s good to get them going.

Ishanya Anthapur: There are so many reasons caregivers are busy. Whether you’re a family caregiver or a professional, we understand you’re busy and overworked. Do you think this type of engagement releases those happier chemicals more than turning on the TV, even a favorite show?

Angela Fairhurst: Television is very passive. You were saying there’s so much time where people don’t do anything. They’ll sit them in the hallway, or in front of a window to look outside. But that’s so passive. That just signals loneliness to me. It’s the engagement factor that’s so necessary.

Once you get somebody started with it, mind you, you have to engage to begin with — they’re not going to go over and pick it up themselves. But once they’re engaged, they’re safe. And that gives the caregiver relief to go take care of other tasks. Cleaning or cooking, or even going to the bathroom and having a break, safely. It’s also water safe, so a shower or a bath is really great with this. And honestly, traveling with it — in a car, on an airplane, in a restaurant where somebody might take a loved one out and they’re playing with the salt and pepper and the sugar packets. It’s a whole lot safer and less messy.

Ishanya Anthapur: And it’s all dishwasher safe, right? So if they drop it on the floor, you can pick it up, take it home, wash it, good to go. In between you can use a wipe. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t have a dishwasher — soap and water work too.

Ishanya Anthapur: Did you notice your own mom experiencing these bouts of boredom or agitation? Did you see that it was dangerous for her?

Angela Fairhurst: She got more and more isolated, and that’s when she would act out. Most of the time those behaviors are identified as bad behaviors, but they’re really that struggle to communicate, that struggle to engage, that struggle to not be bored and to just have something to do. My mom was not a person who would sit in front of a television. So she would get up, and then fall. Those were dangerous.

So it was solving all those problems, besides me wanting to connect with her. The magic was that we did have beautiful, meaningful moments of connection that I hadn’t had for four years before. That was the heart of it, and the prize of it. That’s probably what drove me to go to market — that emotional side, and the realization that if I could have that with my mom even in later stages, anyone can. You can feel better about meeting someone where they are, being there in the present moment, and having those small but big interactions where you know they’re having some quality of life.

Ishanya Anthapur: I’ve heard this advice that when you go on a date, it’s good to have an activity, something small — coloring, not just walking and talking. It takes the edge off. I feel like this takes that place in caregiving. If you’re visiting a loved one, it might be awkward to see them go through these phases. They’re changing, becoming more reliant on you, less self-reliant. The truth is it’s awkward, it’s change, we’re all unused to it. But having something there in the room — hey, let’s do this together, let’s open up this box, let me help you arrange the flowers, Mom. You mentioned multi-generational opportunities. Have you seen that come up?

Angela Fairhurst: It’s so great when you visit, because now you don’t have to say, hey Mom, it’s Angela, it’s your daughter — so she doesn’t have to try to work out who I am. All of that’s eliminated, because you don’t need language. You can walk in and say, so nice to see you, look what I have here, and start the engagement there. They tend to warm up. It takes a little time, and then they’re comfortable. Sometimes even nonverbal people are talking who never talked, and exercising their hands and arms when they haven’t been. It’s magical. It’s nothing short of that.

That was also something I didn’t realize was so important for other people to understand — most people don’t know that short-term memory is thirty seconds long. Most people expect, and get frustrated with somebody because they’ve repeated themselves. I just told you, don’t you remember? Truthfully, we wouldn’t be yelling or getting frustrated with somebody with cancer. We’re not happy that they have it, but we become a little more patient, a little more understanding that it really is a disease. It isn’t something they can help. And it is a diminishing return — people go through stages and get worse. But at each stage you can find a way to connect.

Ishanya Anthapur: We all — like I said, I don’t like to be bored. And when I’m 83, I don’t want to be bored then either. People without dementia are fidgeting with these items too. I think fidgeting is focus. It’s great to have something occupying your hands. Especially if you’re a student in a lecture and you’re bored — if you have something to fidget with, you’re going to pay more attention and tend not to go into your phone. So I think fidget does equal focus.

If you zoom out: now that you’re in the care industry both as a caregiver and as an entrepreneur, how did your background in production and creativity affect your path as a CEO? Do you have advice for others thinking, I have an idea, I have a problem, but I’m nervous, I don’t know how to be a CEO in healthcare?

Angela Fairhurst: If you believe in something, you can get there. I didn’t know the answers to everything. But as a problem solver, as a producer, the line from A to B is never straight. It’s about figuring it out. I know how to ask questions and I know how to do research and find the answers.

Who knew I was going to know anything about manufacturing or distribution or fulfillment or tooling? I had the creative idea. I could do a drawing. I had a graphic artist. I didn’t know you need a CAD drawing to have something tooled. Now I do a step file. These are terms I didn’t even know. When I started, I didn’t know the difference between a skilled nursing facility, private pay, a CCRC. I didn’t know memory care. I had no idea what roles people played in the system or what their titles were.

But that’s where the caregiving world specifically is very embracing. They educate you and make you feel welcome. So for anybody who has an idea, it’s about believing in yourself and not giving up. And when it comes to sales, by the way, it takes seven touch points before somebody buys. Most people give up after one or two. Giving up doesn’t work. So it’s believing, and being open to feedback, being able to pivot, listening. All those things are important, because you don’t know what you don’t know when you start.

Ishanya Anthapur: Speaking of touch points, who in the caregiving world is your target for Geri-Gadgets? Directors of nursing, admins, caregivers themselves?

Angela Fairhurst: A lot of caregivers, but I’m finding a lot of success among OTs and PTs. Adult day cares are great, because they’re there for activity sessions specifically. Group activities, singular ones too. It works really well in memory care, obviously. But I also found that the neurodivergent population loved them, because ADHD and autism all have a similar goal of calming and connecting. So it’s expanded the reach by a lot. I knew they’d be great for kids, but I didn’t know to what extent — older kids especially. There’s plenty of stuff for babies, but past that, teenagers are like, if it’s not electronics, then what is it? And all of these give you activities to do. It’s not just something to look at, sitting on a shelf like a pretty ornament. Everything is structured to do something with it.

Ishanya Anthapur: I can see it expanding — fidgets for people my age are very popular. Where can people find Geri-Gadgets?

Angela Fairhurst: They can find them at geri-gadgets.com, with or without the dash. If they want to go direct to Shopify, there’s shop.geri-gadgets.com, so they can bypass the website and just buy them. Instagram and YouTube give ideas, but everything stems from the website. They’re also available in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand — those are on the distributors page on my website. And on Amazon. They’re priced the same; the only difference is there’s no set of three on Amazon, it’s one by one by one. On my website the set of three has a discount.

Ishanya Anthapur: So if you want the discount, head to the website. Otherwise, easily accessible on Amazon and across many countries. Angela, we have some quick rapid-fire questions to wrap up. If you could wave a magic wand, what is one thing you would change about aging in America?

Angela Fairhurst: The perception. The attitude. Because people think old people are something to put in a corner or lock away, and they really do have something to give, and to still be present, and quality of life and all that. I think that’s one of the most important things I would change.

Ishanya Anthapur: There’s what happens when you need long-term care — that’s one version of aging. Then there’s just aging in general. What happens when you hit 65, 70, when you’re supposed to retire, quote unquote, or 73. The perception around all of those age points definitely needs to shift.

Angela Fairhurst: There’s always somebody to give something, and even when they’re not well, it doesn’t mean they’re not present. The healthcare system obviously needs reinventing too, because it’s so slow to have things happen. But if we change our perspective first, and really have open arms to change and to making connection, then I think it will trickle into the healthcare system too.

Ishanya Anthapur: What is one of your favorite books, or a book you’d recommend? Could be about aging, or just random.

Angela Fairhurst: It’s funny — if the audience is dealing with people with dementia, or caregiving, honestly I want to recommend The Grief Recovery Handbook. My dad was dying at the same time. He had lung cancer and he died in ten weeks, the same time my mom was misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s. And any time you have a career shift or a relationship change or anything, this book was a really quick read and gives you exercises about letting go and actually coming into the present. Because we can’t change the past. We can only change our perspective. That actually let me let go.

I also read things like Mel Robbins — Let Them was a recent read. I read in the morning, something of significance, something to learn. That’s the only time I’ll watch news too. In the evening I read fluff. I’m reading a romance book right now about a woman who goes to Italy — modern day, from New York to Italy, because she has Italian roots and had never traveled before. I try to empty the brain of all the day’s stressors.

Ishanya Anthapur: That’s a healthy practice. What is a TV show or movie or piece of media you’d highly recommend?

Angela Fairhurst: I love British procedurals. I’ve seen everything this year, because being from television I’m a member of the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild and the Television Academy, so I get access to a lot of things, even pre-release. But I really loved Rental Family, and nobody — it didn’t show up in the Oscars. It was such a heartfelt thing. It’s basically loneliness becoming family. That’s the theme I love, and it’s particular to what’s going on in our society right now. I also enjoyed F1. And in television, besides the British procedurals, I recently watched a Korean show, Yes Chef. Dubbed in English it was hilarious, because the mouth doesn’t work the same, but it has a good story.

Ishanya Anthapur: So we’ve got Rental Family, which sounds fascinating, F1, and Yes Chef, K-drama extraordinaire. We’re still living our lives — we’ve got to keep ourselves entertained.

Angela Fairhurst: I don’t want to be in work mode all the time. I work really hard, but it’s worth it. I can’t imagine retirement, because I don’t golf. My me time is going to the gym. I have two adult children, and that’s where I am now, in New York with my daughter. I like to cook, and organize, believe it or not. It’s cathartic. Get rid of something, and that’s a good thing too.

Ishanya Anthapur: When you give, you get. I think that comes through perfectly in the business you’ve created. You’re literally giving back to people based on your own experience. Thank you so much for coming onto the pod.

Angela Fairhurst: Thank you so much, I appreciate it. And for your viewers, if they want to get Geri-Gadgets at geri-gadgets.com, they can enter the code CARE10 and get 10% off.

Ishanya Anthapur: Thank you, Angela. We will put that in the show notes, and in our notes underneath the podcast. You can find us on YouTube, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts. Thanks for tuning in.