A dementia care platform designed in Gwynedd to help families and care staff better understand and prevent distressed behaviour is gaining global recognition.

Dr Emma Williams, founder of Tremadog-based emwillcare, created Less Distress after almost 30 years working in care and supporting people living with dementia, their families and the professionals who care for them.

Less Distress combines behavioural science with AI to help carers identify patterns and unmet needs behind distressed behaviour, and better understand what a person may be trying to communicate.

Dr Williams said: “When a person with dementia becomes agitated, frightened, withdrawn or resistant to care, that behaviour is often telling us something. They may be in pain, confused, overwhelmed, lonely or unable to explain what they need.

“Frequently, families and care staff are left trying to work this out in the middle of a difficult situation. Less Distress is being developed to turn that guesswork into practical, personalised guidance.”

The aim is to help carers recognise potential behavioural triggers earlier, respond in ways that are more likely to help, and reduce the likelihood of situations escalating into crisis.

For the person living with dementia, that could mean less fear, greater dignity and a better quality of life. For families and care staff, it could mean greater confidence, fewer distressing incidents and less emotional exhaustion.

Dr Williams said the idea grew from years of seeing how much difference the right support can make, but also how difficult it can be for families and services to access specialist behavioural expertise.

“I can only support a limited number of people through one-to-one work. Technology gives us the opportunity to make that knowledge available to far more families and carers, including people who may otherwise have no access to specialist help.

“At the heart of Less Distress is a very simple belief: people living with dementia deserve to be understood, not simply managed.”

Less Distress was recently named Wales’ winner of the StartUp for Good category at the UK StartUp Awards. emwillcare will now go forward to the UK national final later this year.

Dr Williams said: “Winning the StartUp for Good award in Wales was incredibly emotional. We are building an ambitious business, but the reason we are doing it is deeply human.

“Every improvement in understanding can mean a calmer day for someone living with dementia, a family feeling less helpless, or a care worker going home knowing they made a difference.”

The company has also been selected for the Interceltic Startup Challenge in Lorient, France, where it will represent the UK alongside five other businesses.

Dr Williams said: “To have been chosen ahead of every other Welsh applicant, and take something built here in Gwynedd onto an international stage, is a huge honour. “Wales has always been a country of ideas, resilience and community. We have extraordinary talent here, and we should be confident about the innovation being created in our towns, villages and rural communities.

“You do not have to be based in London or a major technology hub to build something with the potential to change lives around the world.”