Junior high students create app to help dementia patients

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Three students from Bowling Green Junior High have designed an app called Memory Matters to help dementia patients.

It’s a game in which pictures are matched to words. But the app was designed with more in mind than just fun. Jackson Smith, Trey Duff and Carter Smith have created the app for use in nursing homes to help those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“We went to a nursing home and met a lady named Ms. Clark. We got permission from her family to use her photo and share her story. We threw her a birthday party, but she didn’t remember it the next time we visited, so we really wanted to help people with dementia and Alzheimer’s,” Jackson Smith said.

“This memory game app is different from others because you’re able to add your own pictures and your own text, and it’s easy to understand and use,” said Duff.

Not only did the students create the app, but they also raised money for the nursing home to buy their own iPads, so residents can enjoy the game anytime.

“We raised 400 dollars to get the elderly people iPads,” said Carter Smith

Village Manor life enrichment coordinator Anne Bunch said three brilliant young minds took on the task to help others.

“In one word, inspiring. They have taken the time to think about somebody else besides themselves and found a way to make their lives better,” Bunch said.

With this app, the boys have already touched the hearts of the residents.

“It makes me proud of young fellas like that. They do it well, and they’ve got their act together,” said resident Jack Finkbone.