Researchers developing Facebook app for those with dementia

Far and away from social media’s original target demographic, Scandinavian researchers are now developing a version of Facebook specifically for the elderly and people with dementia.

Researchers are working on a simplified web-based communications application, tentatively dubbed “Facebook Light,” which will have a user interface suitable for the elderly or those with cognitive impairment to engage in social contact. The current Facebook interface is “too advanced for very many people,” said Tone Oderud, a research scientist at SINTEF, the largest independent research organization in Scandinavia.

A prototype is currently being tested in the city of Drammen in southern Norway, according to a release. Researchers are also emphasizing the protection of personal information in their design.