Dementia Patients Co-Develop Dutch Alzheimer's App for Enhanced Interaction

The Alzheimer's Society in the Netherlands has created an application that promotes social interaction between people with dementia and their loved ones and caregivers, reports Computer Weekly . Proxcellence user experience designer Robin van Otterdijk conceived of a digital life album backed by Alzheimer Nederland. "Together with Proxcellence, we were able to develop the idea at the Mobile Innovation Lab at SAP," said Alzheimer Nederland Deputy Director Marco Blom. SAP contributed the platform on which the app runs, and developed the underlying technology to ensure that user information is secure and accessible. The app has multiple use cases, for example as a conversation starter because it features a number of standard events with images. The album also can be filled with personal stories, preferences, and background. "In this way, a grandchild, for example, can catch up more quickly on things he didn't know before," Blom said. "As a visitor, you can choose which topics appeal to you to talk about and see what those conversations evoke in dementia patients." Blom, Proxcellence, and SAP will soon address the app's deployment in the Dutch market.