CareTV Open Dementia Clock — v005

August 17, 2026

New in this version

The clock is no longer locked into either browser/windowed mode or fullscreen, and it is now dimmable without changing Android system settings.

Resident-facing display remains simple. Caregiver controls stay quiet until deliberately opened.

Caregiver controls

The dimmer changes only the CareTV page appearance; it does not change Android's hardware/system brightness setting. This keeps the feature browser-only and portable across old and new Android devices.

Why this matters for Alzheimer's / dementia use

The resident should continue to see only the large orientation information: daypart, time, weekday, and date. Fullscreen/window management and brightness are caregiver configuration choices, not tasks that the resident must remember.

Reused Android hardware

The CareTV clock is already running in Chrome on existing hardware. A newer Lenovo Android tablet that was no longer useful for an HDMI-dependent job can also be repurposed as a CareTV display. This reinforces the hardware rule: Android OS + Chrome + Wi-Fi + landscape + automatic AC-power recovery + automatic Wi-Fi reconnect.

CareTV Open Dementia Clock running in Chrome

PWA / home-screen support

This version also includes a web-app manifest, icons, and a small service worker so supported Android Chrome versions can add/install the clock to the home screen and retain the static clock assets for offline use. The manifest uses standalone display rather than forcing permanent fullscreen, because fullscreen versus normal view is now a caregiver choice.

Public target

https://caretv.org/dementia-clock/

Versioning

This is a new version rather than an overwrite. The new requirements learned here are: fullscreen/windowed choice, unobtrusive caregiver controls, browser-level dimmability, remembered local brightness, and optional hidden controls for a resident deployment.


Daily-build filename: caretv-open-dementia-clock-fullscreen-windowed-dimmable-and-reused-android-reference-2026-08-17-v005.html
Daily-build permalink after upload: https://8k.art/beta/_daily-builds/2026-08-17/caretv-open-dementia-clock-fullscreen-windowed-dimmable-and-reused-android-reference-2026-08-17-v005.html
Standalone clock source copy: caretv-open-dementia-clock-caregiver-fullscreen-and-dimming-controls-2026-08-17-v002.html
Public deployment target: https://caretv.org/dementia-clock/