Why I Built The Dementia Assistant By Louise Donaghy Founder, The Dementia Companion & The Dementia Assistant
Why I Built The Dementia Assistant
By Louise Donaghy
Founder, The Dementia Companion & The Dementia Assistant
I didn’t build The Dementia Assistant because I wanted to create another website.
I built it because I wanted to change lives.
Every day, somewhere in the world, a family is experiencing dementia for the first time. They may have just received a diagnosis, noticed changes in someone they love, or be sitting awake at two o’clock in the morning wondering what to do next.
I’ve been there with them.
As a Dementia Practitioner, I’ve had the privilege of supporting people living with dementia in their own homes. I’ve witnessed moments of incredible joy, heartbreaking sadness, confusion, fear, laughter and love. Those experiences have shaped not only my career but also my purpose.
Over the years, I’ve watched dementia tear families apart—not because they didn’t care, but because they didn’t understand.
I’ve seen husbands and wives become strangers.
I’ve seen daughters argue with their mothers because they believed they were “putting them right.”
I’ve watched sons leave in frustration because every conversation became an argument.
I’ve seen carers exhausted, frightened and overwhelmed, desperately searching for answers.
The words that have stayed with me more than any others are:
“Mum isn’t my mum anymore.”
Every time I hear those words, my heart breaks.
Because I know that, underneath the confusion, fear and memory loss, the person they love is still there.
What often needs to change isn’t the person living with dementia—it is how we communicate with them.
That has always been my approach.
My role has never been to drag someone back into our reality.
My role is to step into theirs.
Every visit is different because every person is different.
Some days we’re looking through old family photographs and sharing memories.
Some days we’re talking about a favourite childhood holiday.
Sometimes we’re singing songs that bring back a smile.
Sometimes we’re simply sitting together in silence because that’s what they need.
Other times, I’m gently changing the direction of a difficult conversation, turning fear into reassurance or transforming a moment of distress during sundowning into a story that ends with everyone smiling.
Those small moments can completely change a person’s day.
They can also change a family’s life.
Through thousands of hours spent supporting people living with dementia, one lesson has become clearer than anything else:
Education changes everything.
When people understand dementia, they become more patient.
They become more compassionate.
They communicate differently.
They stop correcting and start connecting.
They replace frustration with reassurance.
They begin to see the person before the diagnosis.
That belief became the foundation of The Dementia Assistant.
I wanted to create something that I wished every family had access to.
A place where they could find trusted guidance, practical advice and reassurance whenever they needed it—not just during office hours, but at two o’clock in the morning.
A place where a daughter could discover how to respond when her mum was hallucinating.
Where a husband could learn why his wife believed someone had stolen her handbag.
Where a son could understand why his dad suddenly wanted to “go home.”
Where professionals could access practical care planning tools.
Where carers could find support for themselves as well as the people they care for.
Where children could learn about dementia through stories, comics and games, helping to build a more understanding generation.
That vision became much bigger than an app.
Today, The Dementia Assistant is a growing ecosystem designed to support families, professionals, organisations and communities through practical tools, education, AI guidance, person-centred care planning and wellbeing resources.
But this is only the beginning.
My vision has always been to create something that helps people feel less alone.
Something that gives professionals more time to care.
Something that gives families confidence instead of fear.
Something that helps people understand dementia rather than fear it.
Because I truly believe that dementia education has the power to transform lives.
If we can help one family communicate instead of argue…
If we can help one professional deliver more person-centred care…
If we can help one child grow up understanding dementia with kindness and empathy…
Then we’ve achieved something truly meaningful.
Because when we educate people, we don’t just improve dementia care.
We improve lives.
Louise Donaghy
Founder, The Dementia Companion & The Dementia Assistant
https://thedementiacompanion.com
https://thedementiaassistant.com