A Dubai student named Ghaliya has developed an app for people living with Alzheimer's after her grandfather stopped recognising his grandchildren.

The Grade 12 student at the American School of Dubai has now turned that deeply personal experience into Alzimate - an app designed to help people living with Alzheimer's reconnect with familiar faces, voices and memories, while giving families and caregivers a place to keep important information.

The app, which went live recently, has already recorded more than 400 downloads, according to Ghaliya. It allows families to create personalised profiles containing photographs, memories, important people, voice recordings, music, medication details and other information that may help make everyday life more familiar for a person living with Alzheimer's.

For Ghaliya, the idea began with her grandfather. She was around seven when his memory started noticeably deteriorating, but one particular change made her realise how deeply the condition was affecting his relationships.

"The moment I realised there was a real disconnect was when he started struggling to remember who his grandchildren were. These were people he had known and loved our entire lives, but suddenly he was having trouble placing who we were."

"That really stayed with me because I could see how his memory loss was starting to affect his relationships with the people closest to him. It made me start thinking about whether technology could help bridge that gap, and that was really where the idea for Alzimate began."

Ghaliya said her grandfather had been a strong presence in her childhood, filling ordinary moments with conversations and lessons. Even as his memory declined, those experiences remained vivid for her.

(Source: Khaleej Times)