A 12-year-old girl from New York has created an Alzheimer's app in the hopes of communicating with her grandmother better. Emma Yang, whose nana lives in Hong Kong, decided to develop "Timeless," the Alzheimer's app that would help those who suffer from the condition remember special events or even recognize friends and family.
Speaking with Tech50 Plus, Emma said that it has been frustrating dealing with Alzheimer's in her family. "Distance is not the only problem, but [grandma's] illness is also preventing us from staying connected with each other," the 12-year-old said.
Yet, she wants to be there for her grandmother as her Alzheimer's progresses and she believes this is the same for every family struggling with the condition. It is what drove her to create the app for Alzheimer's patients. "My idea will allow them to sustain their independence and happiness, even if they may not necessarily be able to be cured of their condition."
With the help of her dad, who works as a software engineer and doctor specializing in Alzheimer's disease, Emma proceeded to develop her idea into a reality. The adults gave her feedback on her project, which she compounded with lots of research on the disease and her programming knowledge.
According to Good News Network, Emma's "Timeless" Alzheimer's app is uniquely designed with a host of features. This includes a facial recognition system and a comprehensive list of event or schedules that notifies the person. It also advises the user if they have called the person they are trying to reach in the last few minutes. According to Emma, it's one of the things that her grandmother has been struggling with as she keeps forgetting she has spoken to her family only minutes before.
"Timeless" is supposedly the very first Alzheimer's app to be ever created and Emma's invention is still in its prototype phase. Still, there's a lot going for the 12-year-old because she has received a grant to pursue the app's development through the Michael Perelstein Discover Your Passion Scholarship. Learn more about "Timeless" and Emma Young in the video below.
