The Coronavirus crisis has brought upon us a whole new wave of anxiety, particularly for the most vulnerable in society. However, thousands of people across the UK are turning to an app for support, guidance and confidence in this difficult time.
The MyCognition app is approved by the NHS. It was created by Keiron Sparrowhawk, one of the UK’s most experienced, neuroscience-medical product developers. Even before the crisis, it was used as an essential tool as we face an ever-ageing society. It provides people with a non-clinical way to improve your mental health and, in essence, lengthen your lifespan. Through its game, ‘AquaSnap’, MyCognition creates personalised activity training meditation. Use for just 15 minutes per day for one to three months. It helps to reduce the risk of an individual from the age of 60 plus, getting dementia.
Increase in Cognitive Ability
To date more than 700 people over 60 have used the app in clinical trials and real-world studies. It has improved their mental health and cognitive function. The majority reported that they had appreciated the programme and benefitted from it. Their studies have shown an increase in cognitive ability of 30% with regular training. (“making their brains younger”) There’s also a 65% decrease of those with poor cognitive health. i.e., reducing their risk of mental illness or dementia. In essence, it can help slow the ageing process in the over 60s.
One of the supporters of the app is UnLtd. It’s an organisation that helps social entrepreneurs looking for solutions that change lives for the better.
Roland Singer-Kingsmith, Impact Lead from UnLtd describes the app as “exceptional”. He says there is a huge need for an app of this kind. The UK has the oldest population it’s ever had before. “The demographic proportion of people over 60 in the UK is about to explode”. This brings with it a huge potential for change and opportunity for innovation as we seek ways to help them. One of the biggest trends we saw pre-Covid was that it is the over-65s who are really driving consumer spending. People want to buy services and goods in later life in ways that they’ve never done before. We need to find a way to support this.
Stay Young
“The MyCognition app is a fantastic way to help people stay young for as long as possible. We want to help people extend their lives, not end them when they hit 65. This app is as close to an elixir as we’re ever going to get; through MyCognition you have the opportunity to literally extend your healthy life expectancy.
“The potential impact of the app is huge, helping in so many ways. We know that loneliness and isolation in older adults can be a cause of mental and physical health problems. The app is an incredible non-pharmaceutical intervention to help prevent these and things like dementia and diabetes. It can also reduce the pressure on care services as people can live longer in their own homes.”
Mental Health Can Slow the Ageing Process
The app has also been a lifeline during the pandemic. Individuals with mental health problems haven’t been able to access their regular face-to-face support. Instead, they have been encouraged to log on and use the app each day. This optimises their cognitive health, mental wellbeing and resilience to stress that in turn protects them from mental illness. This data is shared with and monitored by an individual’s health practitioner. As the first line of intervention in stepped care, it proves critical in the fight to maintain mental health, particularly amongst the over 60s.
The MyCognition HOME app is available to download from the app stores on any iOS and Android device, via subscription. For more information visit www.mycognition.com.
