From Caregiver to Innovator: Why I Created Less Distress
From Challenges to Change:
The Journey to Less Distress
The path hasn’t been easy, but I’ve never stopped pushing forward, because every person living with dementia deserves more than just crisis management.
I never planned to be an entrepreneur in dementia care
In fact, I never even planned to go to university. School wasn’t exactly my shining moment - I spent a lot of my time as the unpaid entertainment for the school bullies, rather than figuring out what my future might look like. College didn’t go much better, and I left there with a higher-level qualification in bunking off. I struggled to find my place—until I stumbled into care work, from nursery babies, to children and adults with learning disabilities, to older adults with dementia.
At first, I was so happy to be looking after people and feeling valued. Very quickly, I realised it was so much more than ‘just a job’. I loved working in care and with all types of populations. I loved the people, the stories, the quiet moments of connection. But as much as I cared, I was frustrated. I saw the same patterns play out every day: distressed behaviours, overwhelmed caregivers, failing support systems. No matter how much effort we put in, we were constantly reacting to crises instead of preventing them. And no one seemed to have an answer.
I wanted to do more. But I didn’t know how.
Then my world changed!
Finding My Niche in Behavioural Science
In 2011, when my 2 year old son Jac was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I was suddenly thrown into a completely different kind of caregiving. Keeping him alive and navigating the constant challenges of managing his condition was heartbreaking. Insulin, finger pricks, injections, glucose, high bloods, low bloods, fast moving bloods, let alone being a toddler! It was relentless. I wanted to do everything I could to support him—but I didn’t just want to react. I wanted to make life easier, to anticipate problems before they happened.
That’s what led me to train Jess, our family dog, to become one of the first owner-trained diabetes alert Assistance Dog with Medical Detection Dogs, and our story went international (you can read more here). I learned how behaviour could be shaped, how data could predict outcomes, and how small, structured interventions could make an enormous difference. I lost count of how many times Jess alerted me to a problem with Jac’s blood glucose levels day and night, saving his life over and over again. That was my lightbulb moment.
I realised that behavioural science wasn’t just for elite researchers—it had the power to transform real lives. And I knew exactly where I wanted to apply it: dementia care.
A PhD in Counterterrorism & A Career in Dementia Care
I went to university at the “mature” age of 35, and despite not having an undergraduate degree, I went straight in at the deep-end, earning a Distinction in a Master’s in Applied Behaviour Analysis at Bangor University, before taking my studies even further with a PhD in Counterterrorism with the Wales Extremism & Counter Terrorism Unit. It might seem like a strange leap from caregiving, but the underlying principles were the same—understanding human behaviour, predicting patterns, and designing interventions that actually work.
While completing my MSc & PhD, I continued working clinically in dementia care, applying behavioural science strategies to improve the quality of life for people with dementia. I saw first-hand how small, proactive changes—adjusting the environment, tweaking routines, identifying triggers—could prevent distress rather than just managing it after the fact.
That’s when I realised: dementia care didn’t have to be this way. We could do better.
The Birth of PACT & Less Distress
I started PACT (Positive Ageing Consultancy & Training) to train care homes, NHS providers, social care professionals, and unpaid caregivers on evidence-based strategies to reduce distressed behaviours. But there was a problem.
There are only around 80 registered Behaviour Analysts worldwide specialising in dementia care. I was reaching care teams, but not enough of them. The demand for help was far greater than the number of experts available.
I knew I needed to scale my knowledge—to make it accessible to caregivers everywhere, in real time. That’s how Less Distress, by emwillcare, was born.
What Is Less Distress?
Proudly supported by the Alzheimer’s Society & Business Wales, Less Distress is a cutting-edge digital dementia care support tool that predicts and prevents distressed behaviours before they escalate. It takes the principles of behavioural science and makes them practical, accessible, and actionable for caregivers—helping them move from firefighting distress to preventing it in the first place.
It’s more than just a tool. It’s the solution I wished I had when I first started in care.
Why This Matters
🟢 Up to 90% of individuals with dementia experience distressed behaviours due to unmet needs.
🟢 The care system is generally reactive, leading to placement breakdowns, staff burnout, and overmedication.
🟢 Caregivers are exhausted, unsupported, and left without evidence-based dementia care solutions.
With Less Distress, caregivers will finally have the right tools at the right time—giving them structured, real-time insights into behaviour patterns and practical interventions that actually work.
This Is Just the Beginning
I didn’t plan to be an entrepreneur. But I did plan to help people.
That’s what drives me—helping people with dementia live with dignity, helping caregivers feel confident and supported, and helping the care sector finally move from crisis management to prevention.
When it feels like no-one cares, emwillcare. This is just the beginning. Join me on this journey.