Families urged to save precious memories

FAMILIES affected by dementia are being given help to preserve treasured memories.

The first free app of its kind has been developed in Scotland which allows users to scan old photographs or upload new ones onto an online scrap book with an audio description.

The creators hope it could prove useful as a memory aid for people affected by dementia.

Families are being encouraged to search out old family photo albums and bring them into the digital age today as National Photography Day is celebrated.

The app was created by serial entrepreneur Craig Lemmon and co-founder Campbell Ferrier, both from Stirling, after they both lost a parent.

Craig said: “Pictures are such a powerful tool.

“Miigen is all about saving memories and we are hopeful that Miigen can also be a useful tool in the fight against degenerative memory diseases, such as dementia.

“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.’’

The Evening Times has launched a year-long campaign to raise awareness about dementia, which is predicted will affect one in three of the population in future decades.

To create an account, users log in to Miigen, then upload their pictures and add an accompanying audio soundbite, explaining where and what they were doing at the time of the picture being captured.

Users can access Miigen on desktops, laptops, smart phones and tablets and the sign-up process can be done in seconds with a Facebook account or e-mail address.

Sign-up and detailed tutorials can be found at Miigen.com