From Diagnosis to Purpose: How Digital Support is Rewriting the Dementia Story

When cognitive decline strikes, technology can be the bridge between despair and purpose

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Bill Yeates was fifty-nine when he received his early-onset dementia diagnosis. The news devastated him and his family.

"I was so shocked. The diagnosis felt like a death sentence, like I'd lost control of my own life."

It's a fear striking closer to home for more Australians than ever. Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia, with 400,000 people currently living with the condition and numbers climbing toward 1.1 million by 2065.

Bill's transformation, and the digital platform that supported him, demonstrates why Australian health tech company Perx Health is sharing $15.7M in government funding to bring this approach to hundreds of Australians living with cognitive decline.

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The Digital Solution

After the initial depression of his diagnosis, Bill decided he would find ways to live meaningfully despite his condition.

"I remember watching this film about a lady with dementia riding a horse, and it left me with this thought: 'What can I do that will help me smile like she did?'" Bill recalls. He decided he would set himself the goal of still living a meaningful life with purpose and joy.

He started with simple goals. "I needed help to manage and maintain a daily routine of taking my medications, exercising regularly and attending appointments," Bill explains. "And I needed motivation and accountability."

That's when he discovered Perx Health, an Australian digital platform that would give him the tools to turn things around.

Perx Health's app organises all aspects of daily life in one place: appointments, meals, coffee dates, brain exercises and so on. It then reminds people when their tasks are due, and rewards them for completing them.

For those living with dementia, Perx Health serves two functions:

1. Reducing cognitive burden of remembering, and
2. Motivating them to stay committed to the goals they set themselves

For Bill, Perx became proof that he could still excel, even with dementia. "I remember one time in winter it was pouring with rain. I'd go down to my garage and do 100 laps to make my daily steps tick over in Perx," he laughs. "My wife thought I was crazy, but I was determined to keep my 1,900-day streak."

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Why This Matters Now

Six years after his diagnosis, Bill continues his lust for life. In 2023 he trained for nine months for three open water swims, and last year he walked the Camino de Santiago with twelve others living with dementia. He's now a global dementia global advocate following his appointment to the Board of Alzheimer's Disease International.

His success illustrates exactly why Perx Health secured funding through the government's CUREator+ program, delivered by ANDHealth and Brandon BioCatalyst in partnership with Dementia Australia.

The $15.7M funding addresses a critical healthcare gap. With traditional dementia care increasingly strained, the investment will support a 12-month pilot developing a specialised dementia app to assist both patients and caregivers.

"Perx provides a scaffold of support when people are most lost," explains Hugo Rourke, co-founder of Perx Health. "We're giving people back control at exactly the moment they feel like they're losing it. Our goal is to help people maintain independence as long as possible."

The pilot will recruit participants to gather real-world data demonstrating how digital tools can help people maintain independence longer, while potentially reducing care costs and improving quality of life for families.

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From Crisis to Opportunity

Research shows that people who maintain purpose and routine in early-stage decline can preserve independence significantly longer, reducing burden on families and healthcare systems.

"A dementia diagnosis isn't the end," Bill emphasises. "Set a goal and go for it. It doesn't have to be big. Maybe it's mowing the lawn, maybe it's helping to cook."

Platforms like Perx make any goal achievable by organising, gamifying, and rewarding daily activities that maintain cognitive function.

As Australia faces an unprecedented dementia crisis, Bill's journey offers hope to families confronting one of their greatest fears.

"This could happen to any of us," Bill acknowledges. "But the diagnosis isn't the end of the story. It's just a new chapter. And with the right support tools, that chapter can still be filled with enjoyment and purpose."

Six years after that devastating diagnosis, Bill Yeates proves that the best response to losing control is finding smarter ways to take it back – and Australian innovation is leading the way.

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