In 2022 my then 86 year-old dad had a stroke and subsequent mini strokes which led to him being diagnosed with vascular dementia. Whilst he and my mum are still managing in their own home; it was very apparent that my dad's short-term memory had deteriorated dramatically and all the skills he'd learned in later life: i.e using a mobile phone, computer or any modern technology were no longer easy for him. He has no problem recollecting memories from his younger days, but he's forgotten how to send an email, and some days he forgets how to log in to his online banking app and gets himself locked out. My dad had always been the one who embraced technology and my mum's knowledge of anything tech related is minimal, so as the dementia became more apparent and my dad's abilities declined they needed my help regularly as everyday tasks were becoming stressful for them.

Not only was I in a full time job with a young daughter, but they live over 100 miles away, so by the time I could carve out a full day to go and see them, the 'to-do' list had mounted up and I'd spend the whole day doing their life admin and general tasks around the house. Given my background and practical nature I relished being able to help them with tasks which were small and easy for me, but which had sometimes left them with sleepless nights and unnecessary stress.