BrainyApp applies brain games to brain health
We all know about the benefits of keeping our bodies fit and active, but looking after our brain health to reduce the risk of dementia is a relatively new idea. Suha Ali looks at the benefits of using new technology to help people get brain-healthy.
Looking after our blood pressure, being physically active, and not smoking are a few of the ways we can improve our chance of staving off the onset of dementia.
Changes in the brain that can lead to dementia can start in our 30s and 40s, so we need to start considering the risks associated with our daily lifestyle choices early in life. The problem is how do you encourage younger people to start looking after their brain health?
The answer is an evidence-based smartphone and tablet application called BrainyApp.
Alzheimer’s Australia, in partnership with the Bupa Health Foundation, developed BrainyApp to guide people on what they can do to improve their brain health and reduce their risk of developing dementia later in life.
We worked with b2cloud to develop the world’s first dementia risk reduction app, providing evidence-based information in an engaging and interactive way. Importantly, the connection between a healthy heart and healthy brain is clearly illustrated in the app.
We were thrilled with the immediate success of BrainyApp – it hit number one in the Australian App Store in just 48 hours thanks to the world of Twitter and Facebook.
We started our social media campaign two weeks prior to launching the app with ‘teaser’ posts, letting the world know that our app was coming. On launch day (9 November 2011), we weren’t shy in getting the word out about BrainyApp. We were blown away with the response in the social media landscape that led to over 40,000 downloads in the first 48 hours – and the numbers kept on rising.
Even more pleasing were the international requests to make BrainyApp available worldwide – which came to fruition three weeks later.
Our idea for BrainyApp is simple: reduce your risk of dementia by living a brain healthy life.
Research has shown a connection between a healthy brain and a healthy heart in terms of reducing the risk of dementia. And with the current statistics projecting almost 280,000 Australians currently live with dementia, now is the time to start taking charge of our brain health.
At the moment, research shows that dementia rates are only going to grow while our health care systems increasingly feel the strain. This doesn’t even take into account the family members that will lose their loved ones because dementia has NO CURE.
I encourage people to download the free app and start using it today. Staying active and constantly improving our brain-heart health is a key step in reducing our risk of dementia.
BrainyApp is currently only available for Apple devices – iPhone, iPad and iPod touch – but due to its great success we now have plans to launch an Android version over the coming months. Stay tuned on our Twitter and Facebook accounts for the announcement.
More information is available at brainyapp.com.au. If you don’t have an Apple device, there’s plenty of information on how to live a brain healthy life and reduce your risk of dementia on our Mind your Mind website.
Suha Ali is the National Dementia Risk Reduction Manager at Alzheimer’s Australia, where she is seeking to place dementia prevention on the national health agenda. She has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Human Rights, and is passionate about public health issues. Suha led the development of BrainyApp.
Riadh Ali
January 24, 2012 at 5:52 am
Brainy App
Good work Suha! One suggestion if I may: ( dementia has NO CURE) to read( dementia has NO CURE at the moment). What seems impossible today might not be so in a decade or two.
Keep on the good work!
Riadh