Memory-Band: A Monitor for Alzheimer’s Care

by Antinda Toh in Harlow, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 29th September 2020 we successfully raised £6,100 with 129 supporters in 27 days

This project aims to raise money to fund the testing and optimisation of Memory-Band - a wearable device to help with Alzheimer's management

by Antinda Toh in Harlow, England, United Kingdom

1st place in the Santander Universities Emerging Entrepreneurs Challenge

Imagine becoming dependent on sedative medication due to frequent agitation brought on by an illness that you just can’t control. As awful as it sounds, this is the unfortunate new reality that many people who develop Alzheimer’s disease have to live with. This is what Antinda Care aims to tackle. We’ve created a device called ‘Memory-Band’ that will help manage patients effectively by keeping a constant stream of communication between patients and their caretakers. You can please help support this cause and improve the lives of thousands of people affected and their families.

What exactly is 'Memory-Band'?

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Memory-Band is a wearable monitor that aims to improve the quality of life of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, and their family members and caregivers. Realizing that the primary caretaker cannot always be present with the patient, Memory-Band takes this idea and tailors it to meet the specific needs of Alzheimer’s patients. The device will be worn by the patient and will work in conjunction with a mobile app (perhaps on the devices of family members/caretakers) and will include tailor-made features to alert caretakers when the patient is agitated and in need of assistance.

I’m sure at this point, many of you reading might be thinking, “well, how exactly does it alert people?” Simply put, one of the major features of Memory-Band is that the device is equipped with innovative technology that works to detect when a patient’s activity indicates that they are distressed or agitated. Following this, an automated alert from the band will notify the primary caretaker of the patient’s distress through the corresponding mobile app. The caretaker can then choose whether to play a pre-recording of their voice or to directly speak to the patient through the device, to calm them and avoid the use of sedative medication.

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It always gives us great joy to share that Memory-Band has been recognised by Eisai.co for the 2018 Healthcare Innovation Award and has been featured on BBC Essex Radio. We are very thankful for the recognition the product has already received for innovation and are hopeful that your support can help us bring this idea to reality sooner.

Why is this Important? 

Did you know that some research carried out indicated that a staggering 80% of healthcare professionals working with Alzheimer’s patients struggle most with controlling their patients? With over 800,000 living with Alzheimer’s in the UK currently, it was shocking to be hit with the reality of how hard it is to manage patients with this rather common disease. Unfortunately, difficulties in controlling these patients is directly linked to several issues in being able to help them manage the illness, such as getting them to take their medication or stopping them from wandering off on their own. The truth is, the number of people living with this illness is rising on a yearly basis. In fact, these figures are expected to rise to about a million by 2025. But with such a high rate of difficulty in controlling these patients, we saw that there was a definite need for something to be done about it - to make life easier for both patients and family members/caregivers.

And so, we started to look into this further and understand how we could begin to reduce the level of difficulty in controlling and managing these patients. One major thing that stuck out in our findings is that patients are able to be adequately controlled when they hear a familiar voice, such as that of a family member. That is why the use of audio, whether recorded or in real-time, is one of the major features I’ve incorporated into this device.

Essentially, this device is important to everyone because it presents a win-win situation. Not only does it ease the management of these patients, but it also reduces the need for sedative medication which, when taken in excess, can really start to make the individual lose their sense of self. A bonus affordance, which we personally love about Memory-Band, is that it allows busy family members of all age ranges and perhaps even close friends to offer support to the patient, without a need for a constant physical presence. Of course, this is not to eliminate the need for a physical presence altogether but rather increase how one can still remain “close” and in direct contact, especially when the patient needs it the most. 

Memory-Band is a device that can really ease the management of individuals with Alzheimer’s and help provide them with the best quality of life possible. I believe this award-winning solution could tackle the common problem faced by healthcare professionals who find it difficult to control these patients, thus reducing the use of medication and saving the NHS money. 

Meet the brains behind it all, Nange Antinda Toh

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My name is Nange Antinda Toh, a 24-year-old Clinical Pharmacist with a strong desire to spread a positive impact. For as long as I can remember, it’s been my ambition to work in the medical environment as I’m very passionate about helping the sick and vulnerable. It was for this reason that I was very active when it came to volunteering right from when I was a teenager. I remember volunteering at hospitals in the UK and Cameroon at the age of 17 and I carried this on throughout my time as a university student, constantly looking for and taking advantage of placements and volunteering opportunities as they came.

In 2018, I had the opportunity to visit Japan, a country with more than 4.6 million people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. During this time, I was able to visit both hospital and community pharmacies where I had the opportunity to further my understanding of how healthcare professionals manage Alzheimer’s patients. I also received insight into the daily struggles of those directly and indirectly affected by the disease and what was needed to improve their quality of life. I would say this really started off the journey that eventually brought Memory-Band to life.

As the years have gone by and I started working full time as a pharmacist, I meet and have to care for Alzheimer's patients from time to time. On several occasions, I have witnessed some of these patients, their family members and caregivers feel a sense of confusion and/or frustration as a result of the condition. A particular situation that stood out to me was that of a patient’s daughter who expressed that she lived far away from her dad and found it difficult to visit him and spend time with him. However, she did mention that when she was present, her dad was less likely to get agitated and the need for sedative medication to calm him was drastically reduced. And sure enough, I began to notice that the same was the case for other patients in relation to their loved ones.

It was really these experiences that inspired me to create Memory-Band and incorporate features that keep the patients and their loved ones in close contact, regardless of distance. I have high hopes for Memory-Band and really hope it can be used by many and reduce the sense of frustration that many family members of the patients seem to have.

Where will your money go? 

We intend to use the money which we are able to raise from crowdfunding to create prototypes and test them so that we can work towards releasing this product for sale as soon as possible. While helping is of high importance to us at Antinda Care, the quality of the service and assistance this product is able to offer is also held in very high regard. We want to optimise the product so that we can ensure that it’s working at an optimal level before releasing it for sale to the public.

With so many people living with Alzheimer’s in the UK, there is a clear urgency for a product like Memory-Band to bring comfort to thousands of people without the need for sedation. Testing and optimising this product with the funds we gather will significantly speed up the process of getting this product out and we can really start to change the way Alzheimer’s is managed for the better.

Rewards

If you’re thinking of donating, we can assure you that it’s a good day for you to do so because you’d be helping a great cause and could also get something lovely for yourself in return by taking advantage of one of our rewards. You can have a look on the right side of the screen (or scroll right down to the bottom if you’re on a mobile device) to choose which of these rewards you’d love to make a pledge for, but here's a quick run-through of what we've got for you, our wonderful supporters:

  • £15 or more - Easy donor
  • £25 or more - ‘I Heart Memory-Band’ Badge
  • £50 or more - Get 5% off the wristband
  • £100 or more - Get 5% off wristband as well as 5% off mobile app subscription fee for one year
  • £200 or more - Get 10% off the wristband 
  • £400 - Get 15% off wristband as well as 15% off mobile app subscription fee for one year
  • £1000 - Get 40% off wristband as well as 40% off mobile app subscription fee for one year
  • £3000 - You’ll get the wristband AND the mobile app subscription fee for free for a whole year

So just to recap, you are invited to join our mission to ease life for Alzheimer's patients and their carers/family members across the UK. Thank you for reading all about Antinda Care and Memory-Band. Please make your pledge NOW…

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Make sure to share using our social media buttons above and then tell a friend to tell a friend! We're counting on your support.

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£50 or more

1 of 20 claimed

5% Off Wristband

You'll get 5% off the wristband as soon as it becomes available to order. You will receive a special discount code that can be used one time, and you'll be part of an exclusive few that enjoy a discount!

£15 or more

Easy donor

For all our supporters who may not be after a physical reward and simply wish us well and want to support. We appreciate you more than you know!

£25 or more

'I Heart Memory-Band' Badges

Wear your support for Memory-Band and Alzheimer's care like a trophy with our shiny 'I Heart Memory-Band' Badges! You can put them on your clothes or bags and support us like the absolute star you are!

£100 or more

0 of 10 claimed

5% Off Wristband + App Subscription

With this reward, not only will you the code you receive give you 5% off the wristband, but it will also let you take advantage of a 5% discount off a year-long subscription to the Memory-Band app.

£200 or more

0 of 5 claimed

10% Off Wristband

With a pledge of £200 (minimum), you will be the lucky recipient of a unique code for a 10% discount when the product officially launches and is available for sale

£400 or more

1 of 5 claimed

15% Off Wristband + App Subscription

This reward will make you one of the lucky few to pay a whole 15% less for the wristband AND get 15% off the year-long mobile app subscription in addition. You will receive a unique discount code that you can use as soon as the product is available to order.

£1,000 or more

0 of 2 claimed

40% Off Wristband + App Subscription

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better with the discounts, this reward is bringing you a whole 40% off the wristband and matching that with a nice 40% off the year-long mobile app subscription. You’ll be one of only two people to get the unique code for this amazing discount should you choose this reward.

£3,000 or more

0 of 1 claimed

Free Wristband + App Subscription

The mother of all our rewards! Make this pledge to receive a unique code for a free wristband along with a free year-long Memory-Band app subscription. It doesn't get better than this!

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