18 Tech Solutions that Reduce Loneliness and Advance Health

November 07, 2024

BY CAST

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The NYS Innovations in Aging report shares learnings from tested technologies.

As the number and type of technological solutions and tools that address older adults' social isolation grows, assessing these offerings and their benefits is increasingly difficult. A new report from the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) can help aging service providers with that task.

NYS Innovations in Aging reviews 18 products and services used in partnerships developed between the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and leading technology companies with the goal of advancing older adults' health and well-being in areas outlined by the Older Americans Act, including social isolation.

The report presents how partners' innovations work, as well as target populations and outcomes. Below, providers can see learnings on 18 tech products in six areas-and consider how these solutions can assist their own residents and clients. NYSOFA has also created videos and a slide deck with additional information on each of these technologies.

Caregiver Support

1. ARCHANGELS Caregiver Intensity Index - This caregiver awareness campaign has increased the number of people who self-identify as caregivers by 320%, and it provides caregivers with needed supports.
2. New York Caregiver Portal, powered by Trualta - This evidence-based support and training tool for caregivers reduces caregiver stress while reducing medical costs and emergency room visits, keeping older adults at home longer, and teaching caregiver skills.

Companionship

1. Ageless Innovation/Joy for All Companion Pets, a LeadingAge Corporate Partner - Animatronic pets offer comfort and companionship, bringing substantial reductions in older adults' loneliness and pain.
2. ElliQ-Intuition Robotics - Two years of data revealed this AI care companion robot improved quality of life for 90% of participants.
3. Onscreen - TVs become interactive care hubs for older adults who are unfamiliar with technology, facilitating family video calls, telehealth, and virtual social events and an AI companion, increasing happiness for older adults and caregivers.

Connection to Community Supports

1. Blooming Health - A digital engagement platform and outreach tool better connects older adults to community-based aging services, tripling program attendance and saving staff at county offices two hours per day.
2. Community Care Connections - Integrating community-based aging services with local physicians' offices connects at-risk older adults with social workers, nurses, and holistic care-decreasing hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and observation stays.

Support for Older Adults Living with Dementia

1. Memory Lane TV, a LeadingAge Bronze Partner with CAST Focus - Interactive multi-sensory videos and experiences create a sense of calm, connection, and wellness for people with memory loss, bringing an overall positive impact for 95% of users.
2. LifeBio - People living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia can tell their stories through voice recordings that create LifeStory Books, Snapshots, and Action Plans, yielding fewer depressive symptoms for older adults and more person-centered care from staff.
3. MapHabit - Evidence-based, interactive step-by-step guides and over 1,000 customizable maps of daily tasks help individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia to master their daily routines; 75% of users increased their independence.
4. Relish - People living with dementia and their caregivers benefit from affordable activity products that address needs in the different stages of dementia, bringing at least one well-being improvement in 84% of users studied.
5. Zinnia TV - Therapeutic TV for dementia patients significantly reduces agitation, improves activities of daily living, creates joy, and provides caregiver respite.

Virtual Classes and Programming, including Technology Training

1. Discover Live - Older adults enjoy premier virtual tours to more than 200 locations worldwide for social engagement and enrichment; Discover Live has provided nearly 400 tours to an average of almost 6,000 older adults per month through the NYSOFA-AgingNY initiative.
2. GetSetUp - Older New Yorkers are bridging the digital divide, aging independently, and reducing loneliness through 5,000 virtual classes across 40 categories, including health and wellness and technology.
3. Virtual Senior Center bySelfhelp, a LeadingAge CAST Patron - This online community allows older and homebound adults to connect and engage with each other through virtual and hybrid classes, significantly reducing participants' loneliness and depression.

Health Support

1. BetterAge - This population health solution offers a health and well-being assessment, aligned with the social determinants of health, with a completion rate of 88%. Organizations gain actionable insights, and older adults receive personalized recommendations for healthy aging.
2. Emerest Connect - Older adults who live at home benefit from 24/7 on-call nursing assistance and ambulance service, nutrition programs, and interactive television studio; super-users see 40% fewer hospital readmissions, and half of treat-at-home program users avoid unnecessary emergency room visits.
3. Team Vivo - This evidence-based strength training and exercise program, offered online in small groups, helps reduce falls and injury; participants average 25% increase in strength and endurance in two months, with ongoing class attendance at 80%.

For more details, download the NYS Innovations in Aging report.