A SMARTPHONE app aimed at transforming the lives of carers, and the health and well-being of loved ones they look after, is being pioneered in the district.

The life-changing app enables carers to stay connected from a distance with those they care for, whether they are juggling work, living faraway, or on holiday.

The innovators behind App4Care, social enterpriseApt Choices, is now holding a fundraising campaign to make the groundbreaking technology available globally.

“For the one-in-seven of us who are carers, this is a home-grown innovation that promises to revolutionise the way in which we look after a loved one,” said David Harbourne, chairman of Shipley and Skipton-based charity, Carers’ Resource, which set up Apt Choices to help plug a gap in support available.

The interlinked apps - one for the carer and the other for the person they look after - enable the pair to stay in touch, thanks to a suite of seven functions tailored to provide peace of mind and to support independence.

Developed and tested with support from Yorkshire’s growing number of unpaid carers, the functions include a panic alert, telling carers of a problem immediately day or night, and a sensor which alerts them if their loves one has had a trip or fall.

The app can also record wellbeing data highlighting changes in condition or mood, which ensures the right medication is taken at the right time and that doctors’ appointments are not missed, and a location alert which warns when a person leaves a pre-programmed safe zone.

Joyce Hardaker, 65, of Ilkley, cares for husband John, 72, who had a stroke three years ago. The stroke affected John’s mobility, especially in his legs, and his speech at times. John, a retired joiner, has had to re-learn how to walk.

Joyce also cares for her 48-year-old daughter, who has a brain tumour. The mum of two, of Queensbury, suffers from memory loss, is partially sighted, has trouble walking and needs 24-hour care.

Joyce, a former technician with the National Blood Service in Bradford, described the app as "a godsend for many carers".

She added: "Anything that could give carers the chance to be a bit less ‘hands on’ and free up some time has to be a good thing.

“I recently spent a night away, for the first time. John was fine but an app like this would have given me even more confidence. Being able to keep in touch from afar, monitor how he is feeling and to see if he’s taken his medication would be brilliant."

Mr Harbourne added: "The suite of functions are each designed by carers, for carers. In a range of ways, they help those people who can’t be together all the time, but who worry around-the-clock about the care they need.

App4Care is now using Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform which turns innovative ideas into reality, to generate the £55,000 of pledges needed to bring the invention to market, with a customer support service in place.

People can back the project by visiting the App4Care’s site on Kickstarter and making a pledge which will bring it to the marketplace and ensure they are the first in the world to receive the app when it goes ‘live’.

For more information App4Care.com.