A new online tool, DementiaNet has been launched to provide personalised guidance and practical help to those navigating life with dementia.

DementiaNet offers a digital vault for securely storing personal information, care plans and important documents, alongside step-by-step guidance tailored to the user whether they have a diagnosis, suspect dementia, or are caring for someone else. The platform’s accessibility tools cater to users with visual impairments, ADHD and other needs.

DementiaNet was created following personal experience of dementia by two of its three co-founders, Brian Schur and Hugh McGouran. Both witnessed first-hand the challenges that come with navigating the overwhelming information and practical tasks involved.

Schur’s mother-in-law was diagnosed in 2022. He said: “Just finding out what to do was impossible. I’ve worked in the digital world for more than 30 years and despite being savvy online, I still found it a nightmare to do. We were given two leaflets from the GP and basically were sent away.”

McGouran, who is chair of a dementia charity in the Northeast, commented: “There’s an overwhelming amount of information out there, however much of it is generic and it’s hard to navigate without being sent down a rabbit hole of links, which lead to hundreds of other results that are not relevant to you at that point. This makes the search for information very upsetting, triggering and often unproductive. 

“Overwhelm is immobilising for people in this situation, many of whom are already highly stressed and frightened, whether they are looking for themselves or someone they care fr. DementiaNet is uniquely designed to offer a more tailored experience; relevant information to help people at the earliest point of their journey to achieve the best sense of control they can – that’s been missing for far too long.”

DementiaNet is available free of charge with optional paid features for the secure planner and document store.

McGouran added: “We know online communities can be saviours to people in shared experiences, so we’ve built a live conversation area for people to ask questions and help each other. Our aim is to build that community overtime, so there’s always somewhere people can go to share and support each other, day or night.

“Our objective is, and will always be, DementiaNet is to be a calm, informative place where people can find answers as easily as possible, get their affairs in order in a step-by-step, manageable way and connect with others.”