Scrapbook put on firm Foundation

An app created at NHS Hack Day Oxford is now being developed in association with the Health Foundation.

The Dementia Scrapbook, an app which works as a memory repository for patients with dementia, won the Health Foundation prize at the hack day.

“We really like this because dementia is a very big problem for healthcare. We look forward to seeing it up and running,” said Elaine Maxwell, its assistant director.

One of the app’s creators, Rinesh Amin, told eHealth Insider: “The idea was to build a tool which could be used by people with dementia or their family, to help them remember events from their life and give context to what is happening now.”

The app, which can be used on iPads, iPhones and Android devices, contains a list of the patient’s family and friends with basic details and pictures.

It also gives users a reminder of what they did the day before and what they have planned over the next few days.

“We wanted to create a set of memories of people and things close to them,” said Amin.

Content can be uploaded by family members and will also include using a Facebook and Twitter plugin.

With the prize came a sum of cash, which Amin said would be used to get the app launched as soon as possible.

“We’re going through a little rebuild of the system at the moment,” he said. “It’s really exciting to have won. The sooner the app is launched, the sooner it can make a difference.”

The dementia app was created by the team behind DrDoctor, an online booking system being implemented at Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The Health Foundation is an independent charity working to improve the quality of healthcare in the UK.

Read more about the DrDoctor team in Insight.