Feel the Dementia Reality with "Dementi" App
Student from Dresden secures victory in Apple's developer contest
Get ready to step into another world! Hendrik Schulke, a brilliant student hailing from Dresden, has created an award-winning app that transcends the ordinary. "Dementi" is not your typical game, it's an extraordinary tool designed to help us grasp the challenges and intricacies of living with dementia.
At the heart of the app lies a deceptively simple memory game. With 16 cards to match, it seems easy, but a curveball awaits every three moves. The cards switch places, catching you off guard and making you question your choices just like people with dementia often do in real life[1][2][5].
Schulke drew inspiration from his own life, driven by his grandmother's diagnosis. His aim was to create an unexpected journey for users, one that reveals the difficulties faced while trying to solve the seemingly simple memory game[1][3][5]. He envisions children using this app to better understand the daily struggles faced by their family members with dementia.
Apart from the captivating memory game, "Dementi" offers more. For instance, a virtual supermarket bill that continually reshuffles, mirroring the obstacles faced by dementia patients in their daily lives[5].
The innovative app earned Schulke, a master's student in media informatics, a coveted spot in Apple's Swift Student Challenge 2025[3]. During the prestigious WWDC conference, Apple CEO Tim Cook applauded the app, praising it for fostering empathy and strengthening understanding among people[4].
With "Dementi," Schulke has gone beyond merely disseminating facts. He's created an emotional experience, a way for us to "feel" the frustrations and self-doubt that accompany dementia, fostering an empathetic understanding among us all[1][3][5].
- The innovative app, "Dementi," is not just a game, but a tool that delves into the complexities of mental health, specifically dementia, providing a unique insight into the challenges faced by those living with the condition.
- By incorporating elements of health-and-wellness and technology, such as a memory game and a virtual supermarket bill that reshuffles continually, "Dementi" offers a realistic experience that can help individuals, particularly children, understand and empathize with the daily struggles faced by their family members living with dementia.
- In the realm of science and technology, "Dementi" stands out for its potential to bridge the gap between instilled knowledge and experiential understanding, as it allows users to feel, albeit virtually, the frustrations and self-doubt associated with dementia, thus fostering empathy and furthering our collective understanding of this health issue.
