Vancouver Innovator MindfulGarden Targets Taiwan as Gateway to Asia-Pacific

The bio-feedback system is designed not only for managing acute delirium but also for addressing other agitated behaviors associated with major neurocognitive disorders.

The challenge of an aging global population—and the accompanying surge in neurocognitive disorders—has evolved beyond a medical issue into a full-scale crisis for healthcare systems worldwide. Positioned at the crossroads of technology and patient care, MindfulGarden, a Canadian digital health startup, is embracing an ambitious “Asia-first” strategy, with Taiwan as a critical gateway to the region.

Co-founded by veteran digital innovators Catherine Winckler and Mark Ross, MindfulGarden’s mission was born from personal tragedy: the death of Catherine’s 77-year-old mother, who suffered from undiagnosed delirium following elective hip surgery. Delirium—an acute medical emergency of the brain—is frequently mishandled in older patients, often exacerbated by the use of antipsychotics and physical restraints that can triple the cost of care, worsen patient outcomes, and trigger permanent cognitive decline.

Research underscores the urgency: patients with delirium experience three times longer hospital stays, triple the mortality rate, and up to nine times the risk of future cognitive impairment, including early-onset dementia.

Read the interview at: https://techsoda.substack.com/p/vancouver-digital-health-innovator