Inspired by family member with dementia, N.S. teen creates automated pill dispenser – CBC
Joy Akinkunmi hopes to one day commercialize pill dispenser for people with mild or moderate dementia
Dec 15, 2024
When Joy Akinkunmi signed up for a science fair two years ago, she had no idea that something she was seeing at home would serve as the inspiration for her project.
Akinkunmi, now 15, saw how difficult it was for a family member with Lewy body dementia to take their medication. While Akinkunmi helped the family member, she found that between school and extracurricular activities, it was tough for her to help administer the medication.
“I often would spend my time hoping that there would be some sort of situation or some sort of solution for this,” said the Bedford, N.S., teen. “And so when I saw that there was going to be a science fair, that was really the first thing that popped into my head was just thinking of what problems do I see in my day-to-day life.”
Out of that experience, Akinkunmi created an automated pill dispenser. For her research, Akinkunmi became the guinea pig. She used the device to dispense gummy bears to herself.
