When 16-year-old Morgan Cole saw firsthand the difficulty of navigating apps that people like her grandfather were facing, she decided to do something about it. Her grandfather, Howard Izes, who she called “Big Poppy,” was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease eight years ago.
Some of his favorite pastimes, like playing word games and math games online, became increasingly difficult for him to manage and understand, especially with pop-up ads, lengthy instructions and count-down clocks.
“My grandfather absolutely loved fast math and word unscramble. His ability to unscramble words was second to none!” she said.
Cole, of Boca Raton, just entered her junior year at Pine Crest School. She created a free app with simple word games and math games, called “Howie’s Place,” in honor of her grandfather.
“I created Howie’s Place because I felt like there was a need for something that didn’t exist,” she said of the lack of easy-to-use games, without the distractions, for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive decline.
Cole said that what makes her app unique is the simplicity, with only a few buttons and no ads or pop-up messages. “The games stay on one difficulty level, unless you choose to change it, and can provide hints when necessary to meet the user at their level,” she said. (Users can choose “easy,” “medium,” or “challenging” levels.)
Six games are featured on the app and website: word unscramble, card matching, hangman, fast math, “repeat after me” and word search. The games are geared toward anyone looking for a straight-forward, no frills approach to games. People suffering from memory loss, cognitive decline and those with special needs, as well as children are the game’s main audiences. “Howie’s Place also offers features that make it easy for occupational therapists and caregivers to track users’ progress,” she said.
The app launched in April of this year on the iOS App Store and more recently on Google Play.
“I took Python and JavaScript courses both in school and online. I used what I knew as the basis for my coding and when issues came up, I looked things up in code documentation and community discussion groups,” said Morgan, who plans to continue in STEM. She said that the main coding languages she used to develop the app were JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. She used Firebase to handle accounts and user statistics. It’s a labor of love, as she’s not looking to make revenue – “I just want the app to be helpful to as many people as possible,” she said.
As far as spreading the word about Howie’s Place, she said she’s been introducing it in-person to different senior groups and active aging communities in South Florida. She also uses Facebook and Instagram “to help get Howie’s Place in the public eye.” She doesn’t have any employees but said that “it would be great to have volunteers” to help spread the word and introduce the app to others.
Izes, her grandfather, passed away in September of 2023. “Unfortunately, it took me a few years to create the app, so he didn’t get to enjoy the games, but I know he would be so proud of me,” she said.
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