Caregiving is a team sport.
Meet Ripple — a companion for every member of the care team
Caring for someone with dementia can feel like doing everything, alone, with no map. Ripple is an AI companion for ripplesofcare.com that listens first, knows Alberta’s supports, and helps you find one next step — whether you carry most of the care or you just want to help a friend who does.
Ripple is an AI companion, not a person. What you type stays private and isn’t used to train AI.
~600K
Canadians living with Alzheimer's or a related dementia
10–12
people directly impacted by every dementia diagnosis
170K
unpaid caregivers in the Calgary area alone
26 hrs
average week of dementia caregiving — on top of everything else
How Ripple helps
A calm friend who knows the system
One next step, never a wall of links
“Where do I start?” is the first question every caregiver asks. Ripple asks one or two clarifying questions, then gives you a single concrete next step — with a real phone number.
Feelings first, facts second
Most caregivers arrive overwhelmed, not curious. Ripple acknowledges what you're carrying before it offers anything — and it will gently push back on guilt instead of just agreeing with it.
Knows this site's tools by heart
The caregiver types, the guides, the Messy Conversations worksheets, the Memory Box, Gordie Howe CARES coaching — Ripple connects you to what already exists here, when it actually fits.
Alberta-localized or nothing
211 Alberta, Health Link 811, respite near Calgary, EI caregiving benefits, the Canada Caregiver Credit — verified local resources with dates, never generic answers from somewhere else.
The care team
Seven ways of caring — Ripple knows them all
Based on research with hundreds of dementia caregivers, Ripples of Care identified seven caregiver types. They aren’t black-and-white labels — your type can change, and you may be more than one at once. Ripple meets each one where they are.
The Designated Director
Carries most of the care — and often the power of attorney — while juggling work, family, and their own life.
The Protective Spouse
Partner of someone living with dementia, holding onto normalcy and intimacy while quietly losing a companion.
The Backup Plan
Extended family who steps in when it's needed most — willing, but unsure how much to get involved.
The Out-of-Towner
Loves from a distance, relies on others day to day, and wrestles with the guilt of not being there.
The Close Friend
Shows up with walks, meals, and company — and worries about how dementia will change the friendship.
The Forgotten Caregiver
A child or grandchild who senses something is wrong, feels the family's stress, and is rarely asked how they're doing.
The Friendly Face
A neighbour, co-worker, or server whose small moments of kindness ripple further than they know.
Not sure which one you are?
Tell Ripple what your days look like — it can help you find your role and what support fits it. Start a conversation →
Caregiver types from ripplesofcare.com — a platform by Gordie Howe CARES, with input from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.
Would it help to look at respite options near you, or to talk through where the guilt is coming from?
Illustrative exchange. Conversations stay on your device and aren’t used to train AI.
Think out loud. Find one next step.
Bring Ripple the question you’ve been carrying — a new diagnosis, benefits in Alberta, respite near Calgary, or just a hard day. It listens first, then helps you move.
Chat with RipplePrefer a person? Gordie Howe CARES coaches are at ripplesofcare.com.
Safety, by design
Built for the hardest moments, not just the easy ones
An AI companion for caregivers has to be engineered for crisis, honesty, and privacy — not just conversation. Every safety choice in Ripple is deliberate, and visible.
- Crisis support is designed, not generated — a fixed card with 9-8-8, 911, 811, and 211, rendered by code
- Every Alberta fact comes from a verified, dated resource directory — or Ripple says it doesn't know
- Always labelled as AI. No pretending, no simulated feelings
- A real person is always one tap away — Ripple points toward humans, not away from them
- What you type stays private and isn't used to train AI