At the age of 12, his father was diagnosed with dementia, and John helped care for him at home until his passing. That experience had a profound impact on him, shaping both his outlook and the course of his career.
Before founding Social-Ability, John worked as a corporate lawyer at Linklaters. He ultimately chose to leave law behind to build a company focused on improving the lives of people living with dementia through joyful, interactive, light-based activities designed to bring connection, engagement and wellbeing into care settings.
Alongside his work at Social-Ability, John regularly delivers workshops on how to live well with dementia and supports a number of organisations at board level in their efforts to improve dementia care. He is also a member of the UK’s National Standards Committee on Ageing Societies.
Founded by John, Social-Ability is dedicated to revolutionising care through innovative, activity-based experiences that help people living with dementia lead more joyful and meaningful lives.
Highlights
What if we could find a piece of technology that allows the family to reconnect around their living room table using interactive lights, so that you could put a smile and really reconnect that family moment
We are trying to genuinely change the lives of the most isolated people in the world
I just knew I couldn't carry on being a lawyer, I needed something with some social impact, some agency
Can I look back and have I done something, however small it might be to change the world
It’s not about what you can’t do, it’s about what you can do