Maxis launches app for dementia patients this CNY

Chinese New Year celebrations are marked by all the moments that matter, seeing loved ones again and gathering around the dinner table for the reunion dinner. But for the elderly with dementia, the joyous memories of the festivities may quickly disappear.

The Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation anticipates that there will be more than 260,000 dementia patients in Malaysia by 2030.

Discovering that reminiscence therapy has a strong therapeutic effect on dementia patients and can be more effective if it is personal and involves family members, Maxis created a mobile app for dementia patients named RE:Collection.

The data-driven personalised reminiscence app, launched on Jan 16, enables users to capture their favourite moments, and family members can use data and analytics to understand what memory triggers matter to those with dementia.

What the RE:Collection app does:

Revisit favourite memories – Inspire your loved ones to reminisce over past memories via photo or video triggers.

Relive stories through Augmented Reality – Tell the story behind each physical photograph to help your loved ones make sense of their surroundings.

Reminisce smarter – Improve the connection between caregiver and seniors by discovering what are the best triggers through insights and analytics.

Maxis worked with Caring With You, an enrichment centre for persons living with Alzheimer’s and dementia, the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia, Dr. Rizah Mazzuin Razali and Dr. Ungku Ameen, Heads of the Geriatrics Units at hospitals in Kuala Lumpur and Klang, for valuable insights and in developing the app.

Concurrently, Maxis also launched the UnforgetTABLE, powered by Maxis 5G, a Smart Table to demonstrate how common household furniture, like a table, is capable of object recognition and brainwave analytics. When an object with a sensor is placed on top of the Smart Table, it will replay the memories associated with them on a screen. And when the user wears a headset sensor, the Smart Table can display brainwave output of their mental state on screen, for example, calmness, excitement, boredom, sadness, and such.

This analytics will enable caregivers to have better understanding of dementia patients. The showcase opened to the public at the Maxis Centre in KLCC from Jan 16.

Tai Kam Leong, Head of Brand and Marketing, Maxis said “This Chinese New Year, we wanted to provide the opportunity of reminiscing to a growing number of elderly Malaysians, whose cherished memories may be fading due to dementia. The RE:Collection app makes reminiscence therapy more meaningful by making it personalised, accessible and involve family members.

“We are grateful to the many parties who were consulted in the making of this campaign and app Deidre Low, founder of Caring With You, Dr. Rizah Mazzuin Razali and Dr. Ungku Ameen, our agency partners andeveryone who inspired us. At Maxis, our role is not only that of a digital enabler, but to leverage technology for the good of the community and helping more Malaysians to always be ahead.”

Deidre Low, Founder of Caring With You said “Every single person with dementia displays different symptoms. Their cognitive abilities, interests, experiences, characteristics are different. Thus the first rule in providing meaningful engagement to your loved one with dementia is to respect their individuality – recalling their likes, interests, habits, routines, quirkiness, and also triggers.

“Maxis’ RE:Collection app which stores content of my mum’s interest gives me accessibility to topics to share laughs and memories with her. At my fingertips we can look at old photos of her younger self, friends and family, food or even nostalgic landmarks and objects.”

Once 5G is rolled out in Malaysia in the future, the Augmented Reality (AR) experience on the app and Smart Table will be made even more seamless and ubiquitous.

5G is able to connect a massive number of sensors on the Smart Table to cloud computing, that will be able to process vast data generated through the brainwave detector, to produce real-time reports for the user.

This showcases the immense potential of 5G that would be able to connect home appliances and furniture in a Smart Home in the future. Maxis remains committed to deliver the best 5G innovation to benefit the people and businesses in Malaysia.

Maxis also produced a short film, ‘The Most Unforgettable Chinese New Year’ which follows the story of a filial daughter and her aging father. The day after CNY, father and daughter reminisce together on the RE:Collection app.

Watch the film here: