Social web for social issues

This morning's news about a screensaver and online social network for Alzheimer's sufferers and their carers is exactly the kind of social innovation the Innovation Challenges team are exploring. The screensaver is a simple application with the "why didn't I think of that" factor: a carer and person with dementia can upload text, video and photos to the screensaver to help them remember important people, moments and facts about their lives. It's great when an existing technology like this can be adopted and put to good use. If the social network element works well, I can see that being taken up by folks without Alzheimer's as well. Millions of elderly people live alone, and this could be their connection to other people out there. Sure, it's not the same as actual physical contact, and some considerations would need to be made for those not familiar with computers, but it could just be the lifeline that keeps lonely elderly people going.