Feeling old? There is an app for that

Print
The founders of MindMate – from left, Patrick Renner, Susanne Mitschke and Roger Arellano – have entered the fight against Alzheimer’s. Courtesy photo.


There’s no way around it – aging is hard. One of the biggest concerns of aging? Memory loss.

One in every 10 people over the age of 65 lives with Alzheimer’s, the sixth leading cause of death in America.

It is estimated that by 2050, these numbers triple, to ca. 15 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s.

MindMate, a company based in Santa Monica, Calif., is participating in the fight against Alzheimer’s and is working to change these dramatic statistics.The company was founded in 2015 by Susanne Mitschke, Patrick Renner and Roger Arellano, and provides an app aimed at supporting the cognitive function in Baby Boomers and seniors to help its users stay themselves for as long as possible.

The app contains physical exercises, games, nutritional advice and educational entertainment and aims to stave off the mental signs of aging, simply by allowing seniors to play on their phone, stimulating the brain. The core of the app is a Daily Activities Plan that contains a good daily mix of aerobic exercises - to get your heart rate up, a mix of different brain games, healthy recipes for you to cook at home and educational content around healthy aging.

MindMate was inspired by the care experience of co-founder Roger Arellano, who cared for seven years for his grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease.

Susanne Mitschke, the company’s CEO, said: “Many people think that dementia is caused by genes. In fact, only a small portion of dementia-related conditions are traced back to genes. There are obviously many different factors that contribute to dementia, and some of them are in your control! This is where MindMate plays its role. Recent studies, such as the FINGER study, show that cognitive stimulation paired with physical activity and a healthy nutrition reduces the risk of Dementia and Alzheimer’s, and improves cognitive function in those already suffering from the disease(s). Specifically the physical activity part is often overlooked.”

A recent study published in Neurology supports this theory, which has shown that women who have higher fitness levels are 88% less likely to develop dementia, compared to women with average fitness.

The app aims to help baby boomers make a lifestyle change that reduces the risk of developing conditions like Alzheimer’s.

Patrick Renner, the company’s COO added: “It is never too late to adopt a healthy routine. Our Daily Activities Program helps our users through exercises for body and mind and suggests healthy and delicious recipes for the user. With MindMate, we not only created an app, but a community that also brings users together with research and industry players that can make a lasting difference to how we manage these conditions in the years ahead.”

The app is free to download and use and can be found in Apple’s App Store.