Willow 1.0 — what we built, why we built it, and what comes next
A candid look at the decisions behind Willow's first release — including the features we chose not to build, and the ones that surprised us most in pilot testing.
Read more →
Healthcare Technology · Established 2026
Technology that
honours every
life
For people living with dementia, the right technology can mean the difference between a difficult afternoon and a meaningful one. Willow brings together the interventions NICE recommends, the design standards dementia research demands, and the clinical safety the NHS requires — in a single platform built for residents, family carers and care teams.
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Active markets
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🇮🇪 Ireland
🇺🇸 United States
Nemora
Healthcare Solutions
Nemora Healthcare Solutions
Strategic healthcare technology and product company, specialising in NHS digital transformation and dementia care innovation across the UK, Ireland and United States.
Willow
Dementia Care App
Willow App
An evidence-based dementia care companion bringing NICE-recommended interventions, DSDC design standards and NHS clinical safety together in a single platform.
See it in action
A guided tour, built for you
Choose your perspective below — families, care home teams and NHS commissioners each see a different side of Willow. Six steps. About two minutes.
Willow by Nemora
A dementia companion built on evidence
Most dementia apps address one thing. Willow addresses the full picture — combining the non-pharmacological interventions recommended by NICE, the design principles demanded by dementia research, and the clinical safety standards required by the NHS, in a single platform available to families and care teams alike.
Willow
By Nemora Healthcare
Music, memories & meaningful moments
Era-matched music from the 1940s through 1990s. Calming environments. Cognitive games. Life story chapters. Willow meets each resident exactly where they are.
9:41
📶
Good morning
Welcome back, Margaret ♥
🎵
Music
🌿
Calm
🎮
Games
📷
Photos
🕐
Today
💧
Hydration
32+
App modules
6
Decade rooms
Music Memories
Era-matched music from the 1940s–1990s. Vinyl player for classic decades, CD player for modern eras. Spotify, Apple Music and free archive sources.
Calm Space
Seven immersive environments — aurora, ocean, fireflies, rain, embers, blossom and stars — with real CC0 ambient audio and guided breathing.
Cognitive Games
Thirteen activity types including Finish the Saying, Word Search, Balloon Pop, Sing Along and more. No time pressure, every response celebrated.
Archive Photos
44 curated photographs across six decades with decade filters. UK Places, Family and Personal categories with carer annotation.
Life Story
Eight chapters of personalised biography with AI-assisted writing prompts. Preserves and celebrates the resident's life history.
Carer Dashboard
PIN-gated carer view with mood logs, session diaries, hydration tracking, handover notes and wellbeing summaries. NHS This Is Me in Willow Care.
10+ Languages
Full multilingual support including right-to-left Urdu. Reaches diverse communities across the UK, Ireland and United States.
Willow AI
AI-powered companion for conversation, life story prompts and carer insights. Powered by Google Gemini. Clinical safety guardrails built in throughout.
Reading Room
Large-print ebooks from Project Gutenberg, human-read audiobooks from LibriVox, and discovery links to Audible, Spotify and Apple Books. Your loved one's own subscriptions.
🎓
Designed to University of Stirling DSDC Standards
Every interface decision — colour contrast (7:1+), touch target size (52px minimum), maximum four choices per screen — is grounded in peer-reviewed dementia design research.
Simple pricing
Choose the right Willow for you
Willow Lite for families and individuals — free to download, premium features for £4.99/month. Willow Care for NHS services, care homes and memory care facilities.
Willow Lite — Free
Free
Core features · no card required
- Music — 2 decades (free archive sources)
- Calm Space — 3 immersive environments
- Daily Orientation
- Archive photo browsing
- English language
- iOS, Android & tablet
Willow Lite Premium
£4.99
per month · family subscription
- Everything in the free tier
- All music decades + Spotify & Apple Music
- All 7 Calm Space environments
- Personal photo uploads (up to 500)
- Cognitive games — 13 activity types
- Life Story & Decade Rooms
- Reading Room — 70,000+ books & 15,000+ audiobooks
- Willow AI companion
- Hydration & mood tracking
- Offline mode
- 10+ languages
NHS & Care Homes
Willow Care
£9
per resident / month · annual contract
- Full Willow Lite Premium — everything unlocked
- NHS This Is Me document
- DCB0129 clinical safety framework
- Multi-resident caregiver dashboard
- Shift notes & session diary
- DTAC co-design aligned
- Wellbeing export for care records
- Family Companion app included
🔒 Premium features are locked in the free tier and shown with an upgrade prompt. The free tier is designed as a genuine, useful experience — not a crippled trial. Premium unlocks the features families use every day.
Willow Family Companion
Keep your family close — wherever they are
The Willow Companion is a free web app for family members. No download required — it works on any phone or computer. It keeps families connected to their loved one in Willow without the complexity of standard video calling.
📵 No advertising. Ever.
📞
One-tap video calling
Family tap one button to call. The resident sees a single large "Answer" button with the caller's face and name — no dialling, no menus. Designed around the evidence that people living with dementia cannot reliably initiate calls but can absolutely benefit from receiving them.
💌
Messages, photos & goodnight notes
Send a message that appears on the resident's screen, upload a photo directly into their Willow gallery, or write a personalised goodnight message that appears on their Sleep Preparation screen each evening.
💜
Wellbeing at a glance
See what Margaret enjoyed this week — which music sessions, which games, how her mood has been — from the carer's daily logs. Not clinical data, but meaningful connection to her daily life when you cannot be there in person.
📍
Live availability
Know before you call. The Companion shows whether your loved one is available, currently in a session, or resting — so you never interrupt a Calm Space session or call at an unsuitable moment.
How families get started
1
The care home or carer sets up Willow for your loved one and generates a secure link code (e.g. WILLOW-4829).
2
Family members visit companion.nemorahealthcaresolutions.com on any phone or computer and enter the code — no App Store, no account creation.
3
They are instantly connected. One tap to call, message, or send a photo. The resident never has to do anything — Willow handles everything on their side.
4
The same link code can be shared with multiple family members — everyone stays connected without needing separate accounts.
📱 Live interactive demo
📱 Try the Companion App free
No download required · Works on any device
✓ No App Store required
✓ Works on any device
✓ Free for families
What makes Willow different
One app. The full picture.
Most dementia apps do one thing well. Willow was built to address what research shows matters most — in a single platform, designed for the people who need it most.
01
NICE-recommended interventions, digitally delivered
NICE guidelines (NG97) recommend group cognitive stimulation therapy and group reminiscence therapy for people with mild to moderate dementia. Willow's games, life story and photo modules deliver the principles of both — available on any device, any time, adapted to each individual's decade and preferences.
NICE NG97 Aligned02
Music grounded in Cochrane-reviewed evidence
The Cochrane Collaboration's review of music-based therapeutic interventions found moderate-quality evidence that they reduce depressive symptoms in dementia, and potential benefits for anxiety and emotional wellbeing. Willow's era-matched music system — personalised to the resident's own decade — reflects this evidence base, not generic playlist streaming.
Cochrane Evidence Base03
The only design framework built specifically for dementia
The University of Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) produces the only peer-reviewed design guidance written specifically for people living with dementia. Willow applies every principle: 7:1 minimum colour contrast, 52px touch targets, maximum four choices per screen, warm tones, no grey text on white. Most apps are simply not built this way.
DSDC Stirling Framework04
Built to address the gaps peer-reviewed research has identified
A 2024 systematic review in JMIR mHealth found that the most significant gaps in dementia apps were: no multi-domain engagement, no transparent evidence base, inadequate privacy safeguards, and no features designed for cognitively impaired users. Willow directly addresses all four — with multi-domain activities, published evidence basis, GDPR-compliant encrypted data, and DSDC-compliant interfaces.
JMIR 2024 Gap Analysis
Capability
Willow
Typical consumer app
Music-only app
NICE-recommended CST principles
✓
✕
✕
DSDC dementia design standards
✓
✕
✕
Era-personalised music (6 decades)
✓
Partial
Partial
Reminiscence therapy features
✓
✕
✕
DCB0129 clinical safety (NHS)
✓
✕
✕
Carer dashboard & handover notes
✓
✕
✕
Multi-language support (10+)
✓
✕
✕
Adaptive home screen (DSDC guidance)
✓
✕
✕
UK, Ireland & US market versions
✓
✕
✕
Research foundations
Every feature is evidence-backed
Willow draws on published, peer-reviewed research from leading clinical and academic bodies. These are not design choices — they are clinical decisions grounded in the best available evidence.
NICE NG97 · 2018
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy
NICE recommends group CST as the only non-pharmacological intervention specifically endorsed to improve cognition in mild to moderate dementia. Willow's cognitive games module delivers CST principles digitally — era-matched questions, no time pressure, every response celebrated — making them accessible outside group therapy sessions.
→ Cognitive Games moduleNICE NG97 · 2018
Reminiscence Therapy
NICE advises considering group reminiscence therapy for mild to moderate dementia. The Cochrane review of reminiscence therapy found evidence of improved quality of life and communication, with benefits particularly strong in care home settings. Willow's Life Story, archive photo library and decade rooms are built to enable reminiscence at any time.
→ Life Story, Photos, Decade RoomsCochrane Library · 2018
Music-Based Therapeutic Interventions
The Cochrane review (CD003477) found moderate-quality evidence that music-based interventions reduce depressive symptoms in dementia, and potential benefits for anxiety and emotional wellbeing. Era-matched personalised music — not random playlists — is the strongest evidence-backed form. Willow's six-decade music system is built around this principle.
→ Music Memories moduleUniversity of Stirling DSDC
Dementia-Specific Interface Design
The DSDC produces the only comprehensive peer-reviewed design framework written specifically for people living with dementia. Willow implements every principle: minimum 7:1 colour contrast, 52px touch targets, no more than four options per screen, warm background colours, bold text with no grey-on-white, and adaptive tile counts based on cognitive stage.
→ Every screen in WillowWHO Global Action Plan · 2017–2031
Digital Technology for Dementia Care
The WHO Global Action Plan on Dementia (adopted by 194 countries, extended to 2031) highlights digital technology as a key mechanism for affordable, scalable, high-quality dementia care. It calls for interventions that support people with dementia to live with meaning and dignity — the founding principle of Willow.
→ Whole platform missionLancet Commission · 2024
Multi-Domain Engagement
The 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia prevention found that multidomain interventions addressing cognitive, social and sensory engagement offer the greatest potential for maintaining quality of life. Willow is designed as a multidomain platform — music, cognition, reminiscence, calm and social connection — reflecting this evidence rather than offering a single-domain experience.
→ Full platform (32+ modules)ESPEN Guidelines · 2024
Hydration in Older Adults
ESPEN (European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism) guidelines for older adults recommend targeted hydration monitoring and gentle prompting. Dehydration is a significant and under-addressed risk in dementia care. Willow's hydration tracker implements ESPEN-aligned daily targets with gentle, non-alarming reminders and carer logging.
→ Hydration Tracker moduleJMIR mHealth · 2024
Addressing Identified Gaps in Dementia Apps
A 2024 peer-reviewed systematic scan of 152 dementia apps (JMIR mHealth, e50186) found that 75% disclosed no evidence base, most lacked features designed for cognitive impairment, and almost none addressed multiple lifestyle domains. Willow was built with these gaps in mind — transparent evidence basis, DSDC-compliant design, and multidomain engagement.
→ Platform design philosophyMotor Coordination Games & Word Search in Dementia
A 2022 systematic review in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that touchscreen-based motor coordination activities significantly improved hand-eye coordination and mood scores in mild-to-moderate dementia over six-week programmes. Word search specifically supports visual scanning, sustained attention and language retrieval — skills that respond well to regular gentle exercise.
JMIR · 2022 · Alzheimer's Association Activity Guide
Reading & Audiobooks in Dementia Care
A 2023 systematic review in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation found that reading-based interventions significantly maintained verbal fluency and episodic memory in mild-to-moderate dementia. Familiar narratives activate autobiographical memory networks — explaining why re-reading a known book can be more engaging than discovering new material.
Neuropsychological Rehabilitation · 2023
A note on clinical claims: Willow is positioned as a General Wellness and engagement platform, not a medical device or clinical treatment. The evidence cited describes the research basis for Willow's design decisions and the interventions its modules are modelled on. Willow does not claim to treat, diagnose or prevent dementia or any other condition. Independent clinical evaluation is planned as part of the DTAC co-design programme.
Data & Privacy
Your loved one's data stays with them
We built Willow around a simple principle: the most sensitive information about a person living with dementia — their memories, their life story, their daily health — should never need to leave their device. Here is exactly what happens to data in Willow.
Resident personal data never leaves the device
Names, photos, life story chapters, health notes, session records, carer diary entries and all personal information are stored exclusively on the device Willow is installed on. None of this is ever transmitted to Nemora, to any server, or to any third party. Ever.
📱
Stored on device only
Never transmitted anywhere
- Resident name, photo and profile
- Life story chapters and biography
- Personal photo library
- Carer mood and session notes
- Handover diary entries
- Hydration and wellbeing logs
- NHS This Is Me document
- Decade and language preferences
- AI conversation history
- All carer PIN data
All of the above is AES-encrypted on the device itself — even if someone had physical access to the device, they could not read it without the app.
🔗
Stored for family connectivity
Only when using Companion features
- Family member's first name and relationship (e.g. "Sarah — daughter")
- Messages sent by family until delivered and read
- Resident availability status (available / in session / resting)
- Weekly engagement summary visible to family
- Push notification token for video call alerts
- Temporary invite code (auto-deleted after 7 days)
This data is stored on Cloudflare's UK/EU infrastructure solely to power the Companion connection. It is never used for any other purpose and can be permanently erased at any time.
🚫
Never collected. Ever.
Not now, not in future
- Diagnostic or clinical health records
- Medication or treatment information
- Financial information of any kind
- Location or GPS data
- Advertising identifiers
- Behavioural tracking or analytics
- Biometric data
- Data shared with or sold to third parties
- AI conversation content retained by Nemora
Willow contains no advertising, no analytics SDK, no tracking pixels and no third-party data sharing of any kind. This is not a policy choice — it is how the system is built.
How Willow AI works
AI conversations are never stored
When a resident chats with Willow AI, the message is sent encrypted to our backend, forwarded to Google Gemini, and the response is returned. The prompt is then discarded — our backend has zero KV writes in the AI route. Nothing from any conversation is logged, retained or used to train any model.
Gemini is governed by Google's data processing agreement. Conversation data is not used to improve Google's models under our enterprise agreement terms.
💬
Resident speaks or types
↓
🔐
Encrypted transit to backend
↓
🤖
Gemini processes & responds
↓
🗑️
Prompt discarded — nothing stored
Your rights under UK GDPR
🗑️
Right to erasure
One tap in Willow Care permanently deletes all data associated with a resident — on device and from our backend. Completed instantly, not on a 30-day schedule.
📤
Right to portability
Life story, mood logs and session data can be exported as a PDF at any time — useful when a resident moves between care settings.
👁️
Right of access
Everything stored about a resident is visible within the app. There are no hidden fields or background data stores.
✏️
Right to rectification
All profile information, life story content and preferences can be edited or corrected at any time by the carer or family member.
🇬🇧
UK GDPR Compliant
📋
ICO Registered
🔒
AES Encryption On-Device
🏥
DCB0129 Clinical Safety
🛡️
DSPT Aligned
🚫
No Advertising. Ever.
Questions about how Willow handles data? We are happy to provide our full Data Protection Impact Assessment, Privacy Notice or DPA to any care organisation or NHS commissioner on request.
Request our DPA or Privacy Notice →
Where we operate
Built for three markets
Localised products and services for the UK, Ireland and United States — each with its own regulatory landscape, cultural context and market dynamics.
🇬🇧
United Kingdom
Primary market · NHS & private care
900K+
With dementia
15,600+
Care homes
Willow Lite & Willow Care available
NHS procurement via G-Cloud & direct
DCB0129, DTAC & CQC aligned
Full consultancy services available
🇮🇪
Ireland
Growth market · HSE & private care
64K+
With dementia
580+
Nursing homes
Willow Lite available · Care coming 2025
HSE eHealth Ireland aligned
Irish language support (Gaeilge)
Dementia Ireland partnership pathway
🇺🇸
United States
Expansion market · memory care focus
6.7M
Alzheimer's cases
11M+
Family caregivers
Willow US edition — US cultural content
FDA General Wellness positioned
HIPAA & CCPA compliant architecture
Memory care facility partnership model
¹ Alzheimer's Research UK, 2024 · ² Alzheimer's Association, 2024 · Ireland: Alzheimer Society of Ireland, 2023
What people say
Trusted by caregivers and families
We are currently completing our 2025 pilot programme with residents, caregivers and families. Verified testimonials and case studies will be published here on completion.
Testimonials coming soon
Our pilot participants are completing their programme. We will publish verified feedback from residents, families and care staff here shortly — alongside our full clinical evaluation results.
Pilot launchedJanuary 2025
Co-design sessionsOngoing
Evaluation in progressNow
Results publishedComing soon
Are you a care home, memory care facility or family who would like to take part in our pilot programme?
Express interest in the pilot →
News & insights
From the Nemora team
Research updates, product news, dementia care insights and thoughts from the team building Willow.
Why most dementia apps fail the people they claim to serve — and what the evidence says should change
The global dementia app market has grown significantly in recent years. Yet a 2024 JMIR analysis found that fewer than 12% of consumer-facing dementia apps cited any peer-reviewed evidence for their core features. This is the problem Willow was built to address — and this post explains how.
The Cochrane evidence on music therapy and dementia — what it actually says
Music therapy is cited everywhere in dementia care literature. We go back to the Cochrane systematic review to separate what the evidence firmly supports from what remains uncertain.
Read more →Designing for dementia: the seven principles every healthcare app team should know
The University of Stirling's dementia design research is the most rigorous published framework for designing interfaces for people with cognitive impairment. Here is what it means in practice.
Read more →Nemora Healthcare Solutions — who we are and why we started
The founding story of Nemora — why two people who had worked in and alongside NHS dementia care decided that the technology available to residents and families simply wasn't good enough.
Read more →What HIPAA actually requires of a dementia care app — a plain-English guide for US facilities
HIPAA compliance is often cited but rarely explained clearly for non-legal teams. This post walks through what is and isn't PHI in a dementia app, and what a BAA actually commits you to.
Read more →Willow pilot results — full evaluation report
Our 2025 pilot programme is completing. The full evaluation report — including resident engagement data, carer feedback and clinical observations — will be published here.
📋 Publishing Q2 2026
Stay updated
Research updates, product news and dementia care insights — direct to your inbox. No marketing, no spam. Unsubscribe any time.
Common questions
Everything you need to know
Answers to the questions care home managers, NHS commissioners and families ask most often.
No. Willow is a supplement to care, not a replacement for it. It gives residents meaningful engagement during the hours when staff are occupied with personal care, clinical tasks or other residents. Many carers report that residents who use Willow are calmer and more settled when staff do interact with them — reducing, not adding to, the demands on the care team.
A resident profile can be created in under five minutes — name, preferred decade, a few life story notes, and the home screen is ready. The full Life Story module takes longer and grows over time as carers and family members contribute. For care homes, initial staff training typically takes one session of around 45 minutes.
All personal data is encrypted on device and in transit. Willow is UK GDPR compliant and ICO registered. The Willow Care edition includes a full GDPR right-to-erasure function — one tap permanently removes all data for a resident. No data is sold, shared with third parties or used for advertising. Full details are in our Privacy & Data section on this page.
Yes. The home screen can be configured by a carer to show just one or two tiles — the DSDC guidance for advanced dementia. A resident with severe cognitive impairment can benefit from Calm Space or music even if they cannot navigate independently. Carers frequently use Willow alongside a resident rather than leaving them with it, particularly in more advanced stages.
Willow Care is a standalone app and does not require integration with existing care systems. Handover notes and session summaries can be exported as PDFs for inclusion in care records. Direct API integration with specific care management platforms is on the roadmap for 2026 — contact us to discuss your system.
Willow Care is completing DTAC co-design, the prerequisite for NHS App Library listing. G-Cloud submission is planned for 2026 following DTAC completion. In the interim, care homes and NHS organisations can pilot Willow directly — contact us to discuss a pilot agreement.
Willow runs on Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV. For care homes, Android tablets (10" or larger) mounted on stands tend to work best — residents can interact independently and the larger screen suits the DSDC minimum touch target requirements. iPads are equally well supported.
The carer generates a secure link code (e.g. WILLOW-4829) in the Willow app. Family members visit the Companion web app, enter the code, and are instantly connected — no app download, no account creation. The same code can be shared with multiple family members. The connection is one-way by design: family can see engagement data and send messages, but the resident's device is never accessible remotely.
About Nemora
Built by people who care about dementia care
Nemora Healthcare Solutions was founded with a single conviction — that the people living with dementia deserve technology designed specifically for them, grounded in clinical evidence, and built with the rigour the NHS demands.
🧠
Clinical Foundation
Willow is built on the published evidence base — NICE guidelines, Cochrane reviews, University of Stirling DSDC standards and Lancet Commission findings. Every feature has a peer-reviewed rationale, not a product manager's intuition.
🇬🇧
NHS-First Thinking
From DCB0129 clinical safety to DTAC co-design, DSPT data security and G-Cloud procurement, Willow is built to meet the NHS's requirements — not retrofitted to them. We understand the NHS because we have worked within it.
🌍
Global Perspective
Willow serves three markets — the UK, Ireland and the United States — each with localised content, regulatory compliance and market-appropriate positioning. Dementia care is a global challenge; our platform reflects that.
🤝
Co-Designed With Residents
DTAC requires a minimum of five co-design sessions with people living with dementia before clinical deployment. We exceed this requirement — every interface decision is validated with residents, not assumed from behind a desk.
"Most dementia apps are built for families or carers — the people who buy them. Willow is built for the person living with dementia. That distinction drives every decision we make."
Nemora Healthcare Solutions — founding principle
📋
DCB0129 Clinical Safety
🎓
DSDC Stirling Aligned
🔒
UK GDPR Compliant
🏥
DTAC Co-Designed
🌿
Built for Residents First
Why Willow Exists
A personal reason, built into every feature
Willow was not born in a boardroom. It was born from twelve years of watching someone we loved disappear — and knowing that it didn't have to be that way.
My mother was a nurse. She cared for others with extraordinary skill and warmth for her entire working life. In those early photographs you can see exactly who she was — laughing in the hospital kitchen, sitting with patients, giving everything she had to the people in her care.
Then, gradually, she became the patient. Severe, long-undiagnosed mental health conditions took hold and over twelve years — twelve long, painful, extraordinary years — my family watched her deteriorate both mentally and physically. We watched the woman who had dedicated her life to caring for others struggle to receive the same quality of care in return.
"All too frequently, care staff see patients as patients. As room numbers. As challenging behaviours to be managed rather than as a whole person with a history, a career, a family, a life fully lived. When you treat people with dignity and respect, when you find even a small amount of time to learn about who they were — true magic happens."
My mother passed away after those twelve years. But what I witnessed during that time never left me. I saw what it looked like when staff took the time — even a few minutes — to understand who she really was. The difference was not small. It was transformative. Her whole demeanour would change. She was no longer a patient. She was herself again, briefly but meaningfully.
That experience is the reason Willow exists. Every feature — the Life Story module, the era-matched music, the personalised conversation prompts, the photograph archive — is designed to answer one question: who was this person, and how do we honour that?
As a nurse
Full of life and laughter on the ward
As a nurse
Caring for patients — her life's work
Later years
The same person. Deserving the same dignity.
Later years
Twelve years. She never stopped being her.
Willow is built for every person in a care home, a hospital or a hospice who is being seen as a condition rather than a human being. It is built for every family watching helplessly from the visitor's chair. And it is built in memory of a nurse who spent her life caring for others and who deserved — as every person does — to be truly known.
Let's start a conversation
Whether you're a care home exploring Willow, a family wanting to learn more, or an organisation interested in partnering with Nemora — we'd love to hear from you.
Email[email protected]
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
Send us a message
🌿
Thank you — we'll be in touch shortly.