SCCS PhD student creates Memolenz for dementia support

Roughly 6.7 million older adults in the United States are living with dementia, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For dementia patients, simple activities such as taking medication or getting dressed can be the most difficult. An Augusta University student, Ladan Kian, has come up with a potential solution to help with those daily tasks. It’s called Memolenz.  

The Memolenz website is now live and the company is accepting requests from individuals interested in preordering the software. 

“The goal is not to replace caregivers,” said Kian, who is in the PhD program in Computer and Cyber Sciences. “It’s to help people with dementia stay more confident and independent while giving families greater reassurance.” 

Kian’s husband, a doctor and digital health professional, first sparked the inspiration for Memolenz, but there is a more personal meaning behind the project.  

“My father-in-law is living with dementia. And we have seen firsthand the daily responsibility my mother-in-law carries as his caregiver,” said Kian. “We want to use our background in healthcare and technology to help people with dementia preserve more independence and make the daily responsibility of caregiving a little easier for families like ours.” 

With that goal in mind, Memolenz offers more than the typical reminder app. Kian says Memolenz is built as software that works with compatible devices, making it more accessible than other dementia-support options like CrossSense. Additionally, Memolenz is designed to keep caregivers in the loop along with the person affected by dementia.

“Our advantage is the combination of context-aware support.” 

As a fifth-year PhD student, Kian credits professor and her PhD supervisor, Dariusz Kowalski, PhD, for providing valuable guidance and support during the development of Memolenz.  

“Ladan is an excellent student, well organized and full of ideas, with a strong scientific background – I am sure she will do all she can to succeed in both her PhD and the Memolenz project, and she has my full support in both,” said Kowalski.

To Augusta University students who may be hesitant to pursue an idea, Kian offers a simple piece of advice: “I would say if you wake up in the morning still thinking about your idea, it’s probably worth pursuing, right? Do not wait until the idea feels perfect.”