Miigen could help Dementia sufferers store memories

The creators of a new social platform which allows people to store photographs in an online ‘time capsule’ are hoping the technology could be used in the fight against dementia.

Miigen is set to revolutionize the way people store old photos and the memories that go with them and the startup plans to host several community events to allow families and those suffering with dementia to work on creating their own Miigen projects.

Miigen, which launched its Beta version during Dementia Awareness Week (May 29 - June 4), was created by Stirling entrepreneurs Craig Lemmon and Campbell Ferrier.

“Miigen is all about saving memories and we are hopeful that Miigen could prove to be a useful tool for dementia sufferers and their families. We know that dementia is one of the biggest health issues facing us in the UK with 850,000 suffering from the illness today so we’re keen to get families together to help to save these precious memories. Users simply need to create a Miigen account to upload their photos and add an audio soundbite which accompanies the image. This helps them remember where and what they were doing at that given time. Obviously, there’s a strong online aspect to Miigen but what we think will excite a lot of later-life adults will be the opportunity to meet others and share memories at regular social misers and learning days,” said Craig Lemmon, Co-Founder of Miigen.

The idea for Miigen came largely from his own experience of losing a parent and the realization that there are millions of treasure troves of memories that families might not get to share.

The company's main goal is to 'take forgotten memories from the attic and leave an online legacy for future generations to enjoy; it’s a simple way of telling your life story in a digital format.'

Craig further explained: “Another one of the main aims of Miigen is to try and reduce the level of loneliness among older adults by building an interactive portal where Miigen makers and champions can design and deliver a series of events to encourage inclusion.”