About me

You see my life changed over a decade ago, when my mother was diagnosed with combined Alzheimer’s Disease/Vascular Dementia. It was frightening news, and without knowing what I was promising, I committed to supporting her as a family caregiver in the comfrot of her own home.

Immediately, I was lost and struggling. Overwhelmed and barely capable, not knowing which way to turn. I knew little about dementia caregiving. There was little information available at that time, although I did encounter plenty of stigmas.  

I set about finding out everything I needed to know to help myself and mum to be as successful as possible on our new path together. I studied, I researched and I learned by trial and error.  

There were frustrations, tears, and even feelings of helplessness. There were numerous challenges along the way, and you can read about one such case here.

I even went back to study and in 2018, I completed an MSc degree in Dementia Studies from the University of Stirling (UK),  a recognised centre of excellence in research and dementia care practice.

When mum passed away peacefully in October 2020 in her ninety-first year, she had continued to live her life safely, securely and contentedly. She had remained a respected member of her community.

And despite her deteriorating condition, mother and daughter had remained connected and had learned how to share positive experiences, love and togetherness.

In 2019, I set up this blog to help others in the same position that I had found myself in all those years ago.  Combining my grassroots practical experience, with my academic knowledge, I set about on a mission to become a unique voice in the dementia community – a voice that is relatable and informed. My hope is to bridge the gap between theory and reality, offering a genuine and down-to-earth perspective.

Today I’m the author of two books on dementia (with a 3rd on the way). I’ve also written nearly 100 articles on every aspect of dementia, and I have been involved in several projects relating mainly to dementia care best practices at home. I’m particularly interested in inspiring and empowering family caregivers.

In January 2023, I was offered a place on the Ph.D. programme at the University of Edinburgh to conduct research into sucessfully living and caring well at home. 

How Can I help you?

By sharing information here, I hope to help families living at home with dementia to:

• move forward positively
• make choices that are correct for them, confident in the decisions they make
• help family caregivers feel more capable in the care they provide
• offer support, knowledge, inspiration and empowerment

Most of all, I hope to provide a means of putting these concepts into practice in day to day life. The articles I write come from many hours of reading and research. I seek out information on the latest innovations, insights, care practice, and research.

I don’t claim to have all of the answers and I strive to learn more every day but my aim is to share information and knowledge that I have gained so far, both as an experienced family caregiver at home, graduate in dementia studies, and avid reader and researcher on the topic.

Thank you for joining me on this journey of learning, compassion and understanding.

Feel free to check out some of my articles here or check out my books here.

Freelance Services

Author, Researcher, Article Writer, Blogger, Advisor.

Emai me at cath@clickdementia.com for more details.