Guardian Support Services

14/08/2025

Our service operates from this foundation.
Be Brave, Smile and always be kind to one another.
In all of my dealings with Dementia Canterbury I have found kindness to be one of their core values. Thank you team Canterbury. Keep up the amazing work you do.♥️

Dementia Canterbury

07/08/2025

Great Job Richard - Thanks you for sharing this

This moving story in The Press highlights a husband who has become his wife’s full-time carer after her dementia diagnosis, saying simply, “It’s my turn to look after her.” The article captures the love, resilience, and quiet strength it takes to care for someone with Dementia.

https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360766907/dementia-crisis-husband-full-time-carer-its-my-turn-look-after-her

07/08/2025

Friday Thought

I was recently invited by a friend to participate in the Assistive Technology Suppliers New Zealand – Disability Expo.
It was a great 2 day event, well organised, full of learning, and with an excellent range of providers and sector professionals all exploring the latest advances in tools to support their clients and Whanau.
As I stood watching the community of people coming through the doors each for their own reasons, a reality I already knew, but had allowed to slip into the background of my consciousness, came rushing back.

👉 While many Kiwi individuals and families go about their day focused on the price of butter and cheese, and debating why one of the largest co-operative corporations can’t or won’t intervene, there are thousands of other families, tupuna, mums, dads, sons, daughters, facing challenges every second of the day.
⚕️ Challenges that demand every ounce of emotion and energy, just to wake up and make it through the day. 💲 Every essence of creativity and humanity. 😪 And, when possible, to lay their head on a pillow at night in the hope that enough rest will come… to do it all again tomorrow.

That’s it for Friday, just a thought.
Do with it what you will.
Have an amazing weekend. JB

31/07/2025

Friday Thought

When you go through the process of watching someone slowly change, from the personality you once knew so well into something different, something more internal, it stirs up questions you never expected to face.

What makes us who we are?

Is it our memories?
Our connections?
Our spirit, or being?

It’s the kind of question that doesn’t come with an easy answer. But when you’re living through that slow transformation with someone you love, the question almost insists on being answered.

And in that space, it can feel both crushing… and strangely inspiring.

This week, my sister sent me a short clip, you might’ve seen it floating around on socials. Jim Carrey, reflecting on his own journey, said:

“I now feel like I am the universe experiencing a man.”

That line hit something deep in me. Because after all the loss, the change, the searching… the answer I’ve landed on is surprisingly simple:

WE ARE. Not a role. Not a label. Not a performance shaped by expectations. Not a disease

Just being.

And in that, there’s something powerful. Quiet. True.

Even just once this weekend, sit quietly with your eyes closed.

Imagine standing under a waterfall that’s gently washing away all the labels you carry… until all that’s left is you.

Just being.

Anyway, just a thought for the weekend.

24/07/2025

💭 JB's Friday Thought

Today would have been Nikki’s 68th birthday.

I’m thinking about all the things that made her her, the laughter, the strength, the gentleness, and the love she shared so freely. Her presence made an impact on everyone who knew her.

Days like today also remind me of the many people I now walk alongside through Guardian Support Services. My clients (I consider them whānau) who are living or navigating that same inevitable transition. The journey from partner, best friend, companion, Mum or Dad… to caregiver, to memory, to something entirely new.
It’s tough. Really tough.
So as we head into the weekend, I just want to say this:

👉 Don’t forget those who are left behind to carry on.
👉 Reach out. Say their name. Let them talk.
👉 Honour the ones we’ve lost by holding space for those who remain.

Arohanui ❤️

JB
, , , , ,

17/07/2025

Friday Thought

Today I want to share something personal.
After a week of highs, connecting with amazing people and supporting families facing life-altering challenges, and the lows of disappointing business events beyond my control that stirred up a storm of internal emotion, I’ve come back to something steadying. Something worth remembering.

In the last year of my wife Nikki’s life, she became fixated on a simple but powerful message:

“Be brave, smile, and always be kind to one another.”

She asked us to write it down, on cards, on paper, anywhere, so she could hold on to it. Nikki lived with Alzheimer’s, so from one moment to the next, life could become a bit of a mystery.

Now, I find these words help me remember what is important; they guide me. They remind me that behind everything we do, whether it is business, service, connection, laughter, or sorrow, is a human story.

So take Nikki's words into your weekend: “Be brave, smile, and always be kind to one another.”

13/07/2025

KISA Phone – The Easiest Mobile Phone for Seniors and People with Cognitive Challenges
Looking for a mobile phone that’s easy to use, safe, and built specifically for your loved one’s needs?
The KISA Phone is a custom-designed mobile phone created for individuals living with dementia, Alzheimer’s, vision impairment, intellectual disabilities, or age-related cognitive decline.

Unlike complex smartphones, the KISA Phone has:

No screen or confusing menus

Large, easy-press buttons with custom names and images

Clear, loud audio for effortless conversation

Fall detection

An SOS button for instant emergency help

Optional: GPS tracking to quickly locate the phone if the user becomes lost

Optional: reminders to support daily routines

Long battery life to reduce charging stress

Every KISA Phone is custom-built for the individual, making it one of the most accessible and reliable phones for people who find modern technology overwhelming.

Whether you're a caregiver, family member, or support worker, the KISA Phone offers peace of mind while empowering the user to stay connected, safe, and independent.

✅ Now available in New Zealand through Guardian Support Services – contact us today to find out about pricing, delivery, and design options.

03/07/2025

Alzheimers NZ is demanding urgent government action to provide better and more humane support for the rapidly growing number of New Zealanders with dementia requiring hospital-level care.

02/07/2025

Amy Vercoe disappeared from an Auckland retirement home while on respite care a month before Elisabeth Nicholls walked out of a Christchurch facility. Now, her husband is demanding change.

19/06/2025

Even as memory fades, the soul finds ways to speak.

In 2018, my wife was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s called Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA).
Unlike typical Alzheimer’s, PCA starts by affecting how the brain processes visual and spatial information. It slowly takes away the ability to read, judge distance, recognise familiar places… even to see clearly.

It’s a cruel, disorienting condition — and watching someone you love go through it is heartbreaking.

But in the middle of all that, something unexpected and beautiful happened.

Around 2022–2023, several years into her diagnosis, my wife — who had never drawn or shown any interest in art — began creating abstract pastel pieces.
No training. No plan. Just colour and instinct.
She would sit quietly, making marks on paper, drawn to certain colours without explanation.

And here’s the thing that moved me most:
Even though PCA was taking away her visual world…
something inside her still needed to be seen.

She never thought they were special. Often she’d toss them aside or call them “just scribbles.”
But I saw something different.
I began saving them. They now hang in our home. And when people see them, they often stop and feel something, even if they can’t explain what.

At a time when words were slipping away, when comprehension and connection were becoming harder…
She found a way to speak.

Whether she knew what she was expressing or not, those drawings became part of her legacy. A quiet, creative rebellion against the decline.
A reminder that even as the mind changes…
the soul can still shine through.

💬 I came across this article recently and it echoed so much of what I saw first-hand.

🔗 https://doi.org/10.4172/NEUROPSYCHIATRY.1000170

If someone in your life is facing dementia, you’re not alone.
At Guardian Support Services, we help families navigate this journey with compassion, practical tools, and connection.
Learn more at www.guardiansupportservices.co.nz

16/06/2025

🧠 Introducing Support Early — Why It Matters 🧠

When someone is diagnosed with dementia, it's natural to want to focus on the present — but thinking ahead can make a world of difference. One of the most helpful things we’ve learned is that introducing tools like GPS and SOS-enabled wearables early in the journey (even right at diagnosis) helps people feel more confident, not less.

These tools are far more successful when they become familiar early — when the person still has a sense of choice, routine, and confidence. Waiting until a crisis often makes the transition harder for everyone involved.

With this in mind, the devices we provide for support must follow 3 basic rules:

1️⃣ NO, one-size-fits-all — Every person is different. We customise each device to suit the Wearer’s specific needs and preferences.
2️⃣ Safety + Independence — Our devices protect the person using them while giving their whānau peace of mind and a way to stay connected.
3️⃣ Balance is everything — A device must be comfortable to wear and simple to use, without compromising on functionality.

💬 We’d love your input:

Have you introduced support tools early in a dementia journey?

What’s worked? What hasn’t?

Are there features or approaches you wish you'd known about earlier?

Let’s share insights to help others take the first step with confidence 💜

15/06/2025

🌿 What Makes Us Different 🌿

At Guardian Support Services, we don’t sell products — we provide a service that uses smart, reliable technology as a tool to support families and keep loved ones safe.

💡 Here’s what sets us apart:

✅ Whānau-Managed Care
You stay in control. Our GPS-enabled wearables are designed so family, not a faceless call centre, deciding who gets alerted and how.

✅ Real-World Mobility
Our LifeGuard devices work anywhere there's 4G - VoLTE - coverage, not just in the home. That means protection and peace of mind, wherever life takes you.

✅ Two-Way Voice Communication
Check in, reassure, or respond immediately through the device — no middlemen, just direct support when it's needed most.

✅ Born From Lived Experience
Guardian Support Services was founded by someone who cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. This isn’t just business — it’s personal.

🦉 With the Ruru as our guiding symbol, we walk alongside families navigating dementia, autism, and cognitive challenges, offering a service of support, not just a device in a box.

💬 Want to learn more? Message us anytime — we're here to help.

CALL ME on 0274894380