But more than just a bulletin board, Tyze was also an open-ended conversation that was always there to drop in on. John posted photos from a fishing trip he and his dad had taken a few years earlier and they became a chance for the whole family to reminisce, as well as giving caregivers a fuller picture of Charles. Even people who weren’t posting were following along and keeping up to date. Friends and family felt included and even if they didn’t post, when they spoke with John or his sisters, the whole story didn’t have to be repeated again.

With a diagnosis of moderately severe dementia, the doctor suggested supports to help Charles stay in his own home. In a flurry of organizing (“Like project management all over again!” posted the eldest sister who had once been a busy executive herself), arrangements were made for caregivers to come every day. The osteopath helped them navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system. “He knew his way around,” John says, “whereas for us, it was a maze.” In-home supports like motion and temperature sensors were installed with Charles’ kids contributing their dad’s preferences and routines – those essential details that made the technology effective.

For a time, Charles did better, but then he fell down again and had to be hospitalized. An infection set in and by early December, with his children around him, Charles said good bye.