FOUR local year 12 students have been praised for their generosity and technical skills in developing free apps for residents in aged care.
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This year, Avondale School students Braydon Hall, Joshua Masangcay, Andrew Thompson and Filip Reierson found time on top of their HSC study demands to develop two apps for residents at Allity Aged Care’s Bayside facility, at Bonnells Bay.
“We had been using games available off iTunes, and the App Store, but they were games like Solitaire,” Allity Aged Care’s lifestyle coordinator Richard Jones said.
“What I wanted was an app that we could use with the residents that required the use of their fine and gross motor skills as well as their sensory and cognitive skills.”
The challenge was relayed to Avondale School, with the four volunteer students committing to the design brief.
What followed was months of meetings with Mr Jones, face-to-face sessions with residents, code-writing refinements, and testing.
“What we’ve got now in these two apps is exactly what we were looking for,” Mr Jones said.
The apps, Match’Em and Fish Tapping, have been developed for use on iPads.
In Match’Em, the player is required to use their sense of touch to identify a common household item hidden in a sack, then match it with a picture of the item on the iPad.
In Fish Tapping, players tap on the animated fish as they leap out of the water, accumulating points with each tap.
What we’ve got now in these two apps is exactly what we were looking for.
- - Richard Jones
“The fact that these boys have worked in their own time to help me bring these apps to fruition is a real credit to them,” Mr Jones said.
There would be a growing need for games and apps designed specifically for the aged, he said.
“We’re in discussions now, and in the process of registering these apps with the App Store,” Mr Jones said.
The boys want the games to remain free, and are seeking no financial reward for their work.
That way, once the apps hit the App Store, they will be available for anyone to access – whether they be in an aged care facility, or at home.
The apps were proving popular with many residents at Bayside, and were particularly useful for patients with dementia in Bayside’s memory support unit, Mr Jones said.
Trials at Bayside have not only confirmed the popularity of the apps but also their effectiveness, he said.
