A Little Girl Created An Application For Alzheimer’s Patients

Emma Yang is a very special girl who helps Alzheimer’s patients in a unique way. At the age of 12, she faces a sad reality, but it is becoming more and more familiar to many people. Emma’s grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago.

Emma, ​​either remotely or during visits to her grandmother, noticed how the old woman gradually forgot very important things. The woman could not remember the child’s age or why she lived so far away and did not come to dinner every night.

Later, the most painful thing happened to her niece: her grandmother began to confuse her with other relatives.

It is not easy to lead such a life. Having a loved one with Alzheimer’s is an emotional challenge. It is a very difficult situation for the sick, for the family, but especially for a group of people who are usually left in the shadows: the children.

Emma Yang’s story is remarkable because of a very important aspect. What she did is not only helpful to her grandmother, but to Alzheimer’s patients in general.

Here’s what this is about.

“Timeless:” a mobile application for Alzheimer’s patients

Emma Yang’s biggest fear is that her grandmother will no longer recognize her and that one day her mind will not work at all.

• Sooner or later, this will happen too. There will come a time when the brief moments of lucidity will be like invitations in the real world. In those moments, the patient has the chance to feel close to loved ones.
• However, we must not forget that Alzheimer’s patients react positively to a concrete thing: love, evidence of care and affection.
• Of course, for a 12-year-old, these things are not enough. The little girl refuses to give up her grandmother, to allow her mind to erase any memory with her niece and to break the special bond between the two.

To combat the constant forgetfulness, Emma created a mobile application called “Timeless,” which does not allow important memories to disappear. The most beautiful and precious things in your life become “eternal.”

An application for Alzheimer’s patients

Emma Yang collaborated with Dr. Melissa Kramps, a specialist in Alzheimer’s disease. With her help, the little girl created a mobile phone application that has two precise purposes:

• The first function is called “updates”. Its role is to help people with Alzheimer’s disease stay in touch with their relatives. 
• Children, grandchildren, friends and all loved ones can interact with the patient through pictures and messages. The application always informs the user who he is talking to and what is the connection between the two people.

• The second function is called “identify”. The patient can view his family tree and can remember various facts, events, details, pictures and moments in his life.
• All the patient has to do is point the camera at the phone at a certain person to find out who it is.

Another useful and interesting detail is time and calendars. The person with Alzheimer’s will be warned every time he tries to call an acquaintance twice. The application reminds him that the man called again.

The patient will also be informed if an important date or special event is coming, such as Easter or Christmas.

A wonder child with a well-defined dream

Emma Yang received important help in developing the application. In addition to the support of Dr. Kramps, the girl’s project was funded through a school scholarship.

• Emma’s parents are computer experts and work for a company specializing in facial recognition technology.
• His passion for technology is inherited from his family. At the age of eight, Emma was already an expert in HTML and CSS Web, she knew all the secrets of Java and the applications for the MIT App Inventor.
• His professional career has just begun. But Emma has a clear goal. The girl wants to use technology and possibly virtual reality to help Alzheimer’s patients protect their memories.
• Perhaps in the future his idea, in combination with other strategies, will contribute to this goal. For now, the application she created is only useful for patients who are still able to use a mobile phone.

The application designed by little Emma offers a way to slow down the loss of cognitive skills. However, as the disease progresses, the patient needs the daily support of family and specialists.