A tool for fighting dementia
Dementia is a broad term used to describe the deterioration of brain function that results in loss of memory, reduced language skills, impaired reasoning and loss of daily living skills.
There are over 100 different known types of dementia. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type. In New Zealand, around 50–70% of those who have a dementia diagnosis have Alzheimer’s.
Over 60,000 New Zealanders have a dementia diagnosis, and the impact is felt by over 300,000 people as family, friends and carers.* So around one third of all Kiwi families are affected by this incredibly widespread condition!
kin2kin’s family focus offers those living with dementia a powerful tool for family connection and organised memories.
The kin2kin home page
- Faces, names and relationships of all your close family in one place.
- Photos are organised by who is in the picture.
Photos spark conversation
- Simple interface with “love” or comment button.
- Responses to the photos go directly to the person in the picture.
“kin2kin is a unique and simple solution for making seniors feel connected and involved with family. This simple tool has the potential to make a real impact on people’s lives.” — Karl Metzler, Gore Health CEO
“For people with dementia the connection with family and friends is critical. Maintaining that connection is one of the most important things we can all do to support our family and friends to live well.” — Catherine Hall, Alzheimers NZ Chief Executive
To try kin2kin with your family, download the free app at www.kin2kin.com/f/alzheimers
* Many thanks to Bupa Care Services NZ for this dementia overview, extracted from their publication: Understanding dementia. A guide for carers and support people
kin2kin at Dementia Today 2016
kin2kin is very proud to have recently co-sponsored Dementia Today 2016, Alzheimers NZ’s national conference. This allowed us to follow up on our conversations with nurses, caregivers, Alzheimers NZ and health companies; reaching out to further explore how the kin2kin project, which started as a grandparent-to-grandchild solution, could be harnessed to help those affected by dementia.
With a stall at the event, our team thoroughly enjoyed meeting the many inspirational people and organisations researching this far reaching condition and/or making a real difference in supporting those people living with dementia, and their families:
- Kate Swaffer — Dementia advocate, author and South Australia’s Australian of the Year 2017.
- Wendy Fleming — Registered Nurse, Honorary Vice President Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), Advisory Board member Centre of Brain Research, Life member Alzheimers New Zealand, Chair of Alzheimers New Zealand Charitable Trust and Governance Board member Brain Research New Zealand.
- And the other sponsors, including Bupa and Driving Miss Daisy.
Some of the major themes of the event were:
- Empowering people living with early stage dementia
- Dropping the stigma associated with dementia
- The importance of family and support networks
- Assisting those living with dementia to remain at home for as long as possible
- The lack of dementia training for caregivers
- Empowering caregivers
- The need for more focus on this incredibly widespread condition (⅓ of all families)
kin2kin received an overwhelmingly positive response at the conference for its potential to assist with both early and late stage dementia.
By making family the primary focus, kin2kin generates higher engagement rates which benefits those living with dementia and their families. There’s no need to mention dementia and this avoids any associated stigma. kin2kin is a fun, private place to include family of all ages.
Memory books and reminscence therapy have been proven to make a significant difference, and learning how to use a tool early can make a difference to empower an individual for later in their journey.
After speaking with care homes and caregivers that visit and assist those still in their own homes, we’ve designed a specific app that allows for multiple accounts of people in their care. It’s a live and organised family photo album that empowers the caregiver.
A simple click of the heart on the photo:
- Lets grandkids know that their grandparent is thinking of them.
- Lets a parent know that the photo has been received by the grandparent.
- Helps the grandparent feel connected to their family.
In line with the current kin2kin app, we plan for this multi log-on solution to also be free of charge and contain no advertising.
kin2kin is a simple emotional tool that can make a huge positive difference to the many families affected by dementia. We hope to be announcing some community and commercial partners soon… so watch this space.
If you or your organisation is keen to be involved in this evolving project please get in touch!
