Why every care home needs new digital memory app

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A man and elderly lady smiling looking at app People enjoy our new app

Today (Tuesday 17 June) we are at the House of Commons to launch My House of Memories; a digital memory app for people living with dementia.

Carol Rogers, Executive Director of Education, Communities and Visitors at National Museums Liverpool, wants to see our new digital app made available to every care home across the country:

Our ambition is for every care home in the UK to have access to a ‘free tablet’ (of any make or size) to enable people living with dementia, their friends, families and carers to enjoy My House of Memories.

We are so excited about the apps potential especially when we consider the progress House of Memories has made since we launched our first training day in 2012.  Since then, we have had the pleasure of working with more than 5000 health and social care participants from across the Liverpool city region, Bury, Salford, Sunderland, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham, producing toolkits, memory suitcases and memory walks across seven cities.

My House of Memories is the culmination of months of consultation, discussion and planning to produce a truly wonderful memory resource, co-created with people living with dementia. When I see people using My House of Memories.

I am struck by its ability to connect shared memories and special moments between parents, sons and daughters, carers and their clients. The content includes museum objects, photographs, film and an information toolkit for the carer and it is very easy to use.

I am speaking from personal experience when I say, an hour spent with the person you love and care for is less stressful, more positive and a lot of fun with My House of Memories.

man in suit and glassses with lady looking at the app Norman Lamb MP takes a look at the new app

The content themes are wide ranging and designed to be intuitive - allowing users to follow a memory path of their choice, saved to a personal memory tree which can recalled.

One tablet can be used for a number of residents and we have plans to develop for additional towns and cities around the country.

I am so very proud of My House of Memories, the partnerships we have created and the friends we have made. Ours is a shared success, for all those involved but mostly for people living with dementia.

I believe that we have created a very special resource that can be developed across the UK and my energy for the programme is endless.  If you or your organisation can help secure ‘free tablets’ for care homes, please contact me.