Memory Matters

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  Memory Matters Logo

Inspiration

Problem: Dementia rates are rising and there's increased stress on caregivers. Objective: create an app targeted at dementia patients with daily check ins, games (to be added), an Instagram-type memory mosaic, and community features (to be refined).

What it Solves:

Creating a memory mosaic with feelings loaded in will allow for dementia patients to look back at memories and research has shown this can help slow the progression of dementia. Memory games have also been proven to be beneficial for those with dementia. Providing community features will help lessen the load on caregivers and reduce the stigma against dementia, ultimately helping spread awareness. The goal of this app was for it to be accessible and and have soft, non-intimidating features.

How we built it

We build this as a team under the youth-led nonprofit, Memory Matters. Ananya is a co-lead for Memory Matters, who initially led the project and continues to manage it. Somi is the apps crew director, that also manages. We are currently building the app in GitHub for iOS using XCode, but we will be creating an Android and React version soon.

Challenges we ran into

We had a team of 7-10 people, which meant communication was a hurdle at times. Scheduling meetings became a point of conflict, since having our schedules overlap was difficult. Additionally, keeping up with the tasks assigned to each person was tricky. However, we created clean schedules, deadlines, checked in regularly, and had multiple times for the same meeting in order to organize, which has allowed us to keep going.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're pretty proud of having most of the MVP for version one complete as well as creating the concept and design for an app that can help thousands.

What we learned

We've learned a lot about organizing as well as dementia. We had to look into a lot of the most recent developments in dementia and Alzheimer's research, which means we have all become knowledgeable on how we can best help patients and their caregivers. For some of us, it was the first time we coded an app, so that was valuable experience regarding working in a team and managing the different components.

What's next for Memory Matters

For this app, we will continue to add and refine features, code the app, advertise to gain users, do research, and collaborate to make the best app possible.

Built With

• python
• swift