Loneliness and social isolation in older adults are more than just feelings; they can cause serious health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says loneliness raises the chance of diseases like dementia, stroke, and heart disease. The Surgeon General has said that long-term loneliness can make a person’s life shorter, similar to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Data from AARP shows that almost one in five Americans over 65 are socially isolated. This isolation causes about $6.7 billion extra each year in Medicaid spending because of more hospital stays, emergency room visits, and long-term care needs.
Many health experts know that social isolation is often missed but it affects both physical and mental health. Adult children over 50 often look for technology that can help their parents who find usual digital devices hard to use. There is a clear need for simple and easy-to-use technology made especially for seniors. AI companions are becoming a key area to help older adults.
Many companies have made AI companions to help reduce loneliness, watch health, help caregivers, and support seniors to live more independently. Below are examples of AI companions working in the United States.
ONSCREEN is a tech startup created by Costin Tuculescu. It changed normal TVs into AI-powered communication hubs. The device connects with a TV using an HDMI cable and has cameras and microphones. It lets seniors make voice and video calls and send text messages easily. It is designed to be simple for older adults who find new technology hard to use.
With a $25,000 grant from the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), ONSCREEN will give their device free to 100 seniors in New York. The program wants to see if the device helps lower loneliness and improve health.
The AI companion checks on users’ health by asking if they feel pain or symptoms before things get worse. It also reminds users to take their medicines on time. Costin Tuculescu thinks this can help stop expensive emergency room visits and cut Medicaid costs linked to loneliness.
ONSCREEN helps seniors connect easily with family and caregivers. It also encourages regular health checks. This helps fix both social and medical problems that hurt seniors’ health.
ElliQ was made by Intuition Robotics and tested by NYSOFA. It is an active companion that starts talks and activities to keep seniors involved and encourage healthy habits.
In a test with more than 800 seniors, NYSOFA reported loneliness dropped by 95% in people who used ElliQ. Seniors talked to ElliQ over 30 times a day, six days each week. About 75% of these talks were about physical, social, and mental wellness activities like stress exercises, brain games, mindfulness, and virtual museum visits.
Greg Olsen, Director of NYSOFA, said the results were better than expected to help seniors feel better. Becky Preve from the Association on Aging in New York said ElliQ fits well with plans for in-home care. ElliQ helps seniors keep routines, support mental health, and lowers visits to emergency medical care.
ElliQ shows how an AI companion that acts like a caring friend can improve health by helping with loneliness, encouraging activity, and giving mental support in an easy way to use.
Machani Robotics built RIA, the world’s first emotionally aware humanoid robot for elder care. RIA does more than keep company; it watches health, keeps brains active, and helps healthcare workers.
RIA helps lower risks of falls, infections, and sadness. These problems often cause hospital visits for seniors. At Scripps Health, RIA helped nurses and doctors save up to 2.5 hours each day by reducing paperwork and giving patient education.
RIA also lowers staff stress by up to 30%. It helps keep patients stable for longer and delays when they need serious care in hospitals or nursing homes. Tests with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities showed RIA can cut care costs by 55%.
Using RIA in healthcare shows how AI companions can improve care quality and help medical staff work better. This makes it useful for clinics that care for seniors.
People who run medical clinics and manage IT know that AI can make patient care better and clinic work easier. AI companions help both patients and staff by doing many routine tasks.
AI companions like ONSCREEN and ElliQ check on seniors’ health and remind them to take medicine automatically. This regular care helps find problems early and leads to quick follow-up. It often stops emergencies from happening.
Doing these jobs automatically frees staff from making lots of calls or visits. They can focus on more difficult care.
At Scripps Health, RIA shows how AI can lower paperwork for doctors and nurses. It shares patient education and tracks patient information. This saves time and keeps records more accurate.
This helps healthcare providers work together better and know how patients are doing without too much paperwork.
AI companions give emotional and mental help that lowers stress for family and professional caregivers. RIA, for example, lets caregivers spend better time with patients by handling reminders and basic teaching. This helps lower staff burnout by about 30%.
AI companions also help train new workers by giving steady and repeatable patient interactions. This is useful in programs for people with different needs and for elder care.
Many seniors want to live at home safely for as long as possible. AI companions help with this by offering ongoing health checks and social contact. NYSOFA’s ElliQ and ONSCREEN programs support seniors living independently and help lower hospital visits.
For clinics focusing on community health and overall population care, using AI companions can add support outside the clinic.
Medical managers and IT staff must improve care for older patients and control costs, especially emergency visits. AI companions offer several benefits:
As AI companions show good results for patients and clinics, healthcare providers should think about how to include these tools in care plans for seniors. Important steps include:
In short, AI companions give medical clinics in the United States new tools to improve senior care, lower healthcare costs, and make operations better. They help with social, medical, and office tasks, making them useful in managing the health of older adults.
ONSCREEN is a tech startup that has developed a product allowing televisions to function as fully automated communication hubs, enabling voice calls, video calls, and text messages, aimed at reducing senior loneliness.
The ONSCREEN device connects to a TV via an HDMI cable and includes built-in cameras and microphones, providing an easy interface for older adults who may struggle with technology.
The product primarily targets older adults aged 75 and above, often purchased by their adult children who are typically around 50 years old.
ONSCREEN has partnered with the New York State Office for the Aging to combat loneliness among seniors, aided by a $25,000 grant for product distribution.
Loneliness and social isolation significantly increase the risk of dementia, stroke, and heart disease, and can have health impacts comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes daily.
According to AARP, nearly one in five Americans aged 65 and older are considered socially isolated, leading to around $6.7 billion in additional Medicaid spending yearly.
The AI companion provides wellness checks and medication reminders to users, aiming to identify health issues before they escalate to costly emergencies.
The goal is to provide ONSCREEN devices to 100 seniors in New York for free to assess its effectiveness in reducing loneliness and improving well-being.
AARP is engaged in programs addressing social isolation, including initiatives with the Office for the Aging and advocating for funding for home and community-based services.
Seniors interested in the ONSCREEN program can find application details through the company’s website or relevant outreach channels.
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