Application To Record Number Of Raka’aat

First and foremost, old age and weakness is part of the system of this world; old age comes with sicknesses and difficulties.  Allah Ta’ālā says in the Holy Quraan:

اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ ضَعْفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ

Translation: Allah ﷻ is the One who created you in a state of weakness, and then He created strength after weakness, then created weakness and old age after strength. He creates what He wills, and He is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful. Al-Quran, 30:54 

Dementia refers to a group of symptoms caused by other conditions. Dementia causes a long term and often gradual decrease in the ability to understand and remember, that is great enough to affect a person’s daily functioning. It happens when the parts of the brain used for learning, memory, decision making, and language are damaged or diseased.

Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease, but it can also be caused temporarily by the use of various sedatives and hypnotic drugs. The memory can be either wholly or partially lost due to the extent of damage that was caused. 

In light of the above definition, we understand dementia and amnesia to be mental disorders. They will fall under the category of (المعتوهالمجنون) i.e. insane or abnormal. According to Shari’ah such a person is excused from abiding by the Commands of Allah Ta’ala.

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ رُفِعَ الْقَلَمُ عَنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ عَنِ النَّائِمِ حَتَّى يَسْتَيْقِظَ وَعَنِ الصَّبِيِّ حَتَّى يَحْتَلِمَ وَعَنِ الْمَجْنُونِ حَتَّى يَعْقِلَ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رضى الله عنه عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم زَادَ فِيهِ ‏”‏ وَالْخَرِفِ ‏”

Translation: Hadhrat Ali (Radiyallahu Anhu) reports that Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: There are three (persons) whose actions are not recorded: a sleeping person until he awakes, a child until he reaches puberty, and an insane person until he comes to his senses … (another narration adds): “and an old man who is feeble-minded.”(Abu Dawud 4403)

In conclusion: If a person’s dementia/amnesia is of such a severe nature, that he/she is incapable of understanding what he/she is doing to such an extent that he/she forgets the method of performing Salaah – and this condition prevails for 24 hours, then he/she will be exempted from performing Salaah as Salaah will not be Fardh upon him/her. Hence, there will be no need for such a person to use such an App.