Finding Their Feet: Why We’re Fundraising for High Contrast Socks

At Young at Heart ULO CIC, the best ideas often come from the people closest to the work. This one started with a simple observation on a hospital ward.

One of our carers noticed something during a recent hospital visit. The person they support had been given a pair of brightly coloured non-slip socks to wear — and when they asked a member of staff about them, the answer was more interesting than they expected. The socks weren’t just there to signal fall risk to staff, though that’s part of it. The high contrast colour — bold red or yellow against pale flooring — actually helps people living with dementia locate their own feet.

It sounds deceptively simple. But for someone living with the visuospatial changes that dementia can bring, being able to clearly see where your feet are can make the difference between standing confidently and feeling uncertain and unsteady. The brain needs clear visual information to process depth, position, and movement — and when that processing becomes more difficult, high contrast becomes a genuine aid rather than just a bad fashion choice.

Why Falls Matter So Much in Dementia

Falls are one of the most significant risks for people living with dementia, and the statistics are sobering. One in three adults over 65 will experience at least one fall a year — but research has found that people living with dementia experience nearly eight times more falls than those without. The consequences can be serious: fractures, hospital admissions, a loss of confidence, and a reduction in independence that can be very difficult to recover from.

At Young at Heart, we support around 150 people living with dementia and carers across the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees through regular activities, peer support, and practical help. Reducing the risk of falls — and the fear of falling — is something we think about a lot. We already work with The Junction Multibank, our local Tees Valley multibank operated by The Junction Foundation, to access practical items like night lights that help people navigate their homes safely in the dark. The high contrast socks feel like a natural extension of that same thinking — small, practical, and genuinely useful.

What We’re Doing About It

After that conversation on the ward, our founder Alison Watson-Shields started looking into where to source similar socks outside of a hospital setting. We found two good options — yellow non-slip grip socks from a specialist healthcare supplier in a range of sizes, and red non-slip socks available in mid-range sizes — both designed with the same dual-tread grip used in clinical settings.

We want to offer these socks completely free of charge to the people we support and their families. No pressure, no obligation — just something practical available whenever it’s needed. Some families will want one pair, some will want both colours (having two means one is always available while the other is in the wash), and some won’t want them at all. That’s absolutely fine. We just want to be able to offer the option.

How You Can Help

We’re raising £250 to purchase an initial stock of red and yellow non-slip grip socks in a range of sizes. That’s enough to provide around 80–100 pairs to the people we support.

If you’d like to contribute, you can donate via our GoodHub page here: Finding Their Feet

If you’re a UK taxpayer, please do add Gift Aid when you donate — it costs you nothing but adds an extra 25p for every £1 you give, helping your donation go even further.

And if you can’t donate, sharing this post or our fundraising page is just as valuable. Thank you for helping us keep doing what we do.