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Help Ukraine

Team develops app to help cope with dementia

Shared by Ana Duarte on 2019-07-31 09:57

About the solution

Stewart and Mark came together as musicians, in 2014, and their app was a tool which allows non-musicians to create music. It was also after Stewart’s son, Kieran started working on a course project for the Dementia Action Alliance that Stewart began to think of ways music could be applied to help the condition., that they started thinking of ways to apply music to cope with dementia.

The duo visited a centre that helps people with dementia and memory loss, as volunteers, and they worked on the app with clients and caregivers. Since 2017 they have been working closely with these people to refine MindHarp™ so that I can better meet the needs of the audience.

The app enables users to enjoy making music, without the fear of not getting it right. It features eight different coloured buttons, of carefully composed musical sounds. It also includes atmospheric and associative sounds, such as a horse trotting or bells ringing. Several buttons can be pressed at once and it can be played alone or as part of a group – providing an endless range of music.

“The MindHarp™ was first developed as a creative tool to enable anyone to engage proactively with musical sound. It means that playing music either alone or together need not be the privilege of musicians. With a deep understanding of how music stimulates and releases hormones in the brain (the endocrinal system), music creation through the MindHarp™ becomes a powerful way to connect people. Music ceases to be a way to encourage dialogue. Music is the dialogue.
The MindHarp™ is about togetherness. It is welcoming, inclusive & clever technology that brings people into a safe place where they can freely express themselves and start a shared journey of healing & dialogue through sound. The MindHarp™ meets peoples’ needs in dealing with the past, nurturing a sense of belonging in the present and reducing fears of the future”, it says on the official website.

The app is available for iPad for £99.99.

Adapted from: https://bit.ly/2LQbeHJ

More info: https://lydianhealth.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbM-8nQkKFw

This solution shall not include mention to the use of drugs, chemicals or biologicals (including food); invasive devices; offensive, commercial or inherently dangerous content. This solution was not medically validated. Proceed with caution! If you have any doubts, please consult with a health professional.

DISCLAIMER: This story was written by someone who is not the author of the solution, therefore please be advised that, although it was written with the utmost respect for the innovation and the innovator, there can be some incorrect statements. If you find any errors please contact the patient Innovation team via info@patient-innovation.com

About the author

Stewart Redpath and Mark Smulian, from the UK, who lost his father to dementia, developed MindHarp™, a mobile app which helps people with dementia engage with music and interact with people around them.