Where ElliQ sits in the healthcare continuum for senior loneliness

Older adults are often labeled as not technology-savvy when that’s not necessarily the case. When the right tools and resources are in place to show them how to use technology, it can have a positive impact on their social connectedness and health.

This group experiences an unfortunately high rate of grief for the loss of friends, spouses, and extended family members. They also grieve for the places they’ve lived, the careers they’ve led, and the activities or hobbies they used to enjoy. Older adults are known to be extremely emotionally resilient, and just because those functions are available to them, doesn’t mean that as a society, we shouldn’t work to ease the emotional burden they experience.

“They are showing the capacity to create a new space for new relationships,” Dor Skuler, co-founder and CEO of Intuition Robotics, the maker of ElliQ. “It is important to create and nurture a home environment where older adults feel supported, respected, and valued. This can be done through virtual programs that ElliQ provides, balancing health-specific assessments like blood pressure monitoring and medication reminders with the connective qualities of a friend, like going ‘out’ for coffee, having deep conversations, and trying yoga.”

The cost of senior isolation will continue to rise with time—using current demographic trends—with estimates at $6.7 million in additional Medicare spending. This could instead be used to prevent and manage isolation with proper resources and tools.

How an AI companion robot is partnering with agencies around the country

Making a long-term impact on the incidence of loneliness and depression among older adults can’t be done in isolation either. Forming strategic partnerships with companies and agencies that are aligned in:

• Helping older adults stay connected while living independently
• Fulfilling their wishes to age in place (at home)
• Implementing measures that focus on prevention over reaction

During a successful program with the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), fully funded units were provided to seniors across the state. The goal wasn’t just to get ElliQ in more homes, but to track and measure engagement levels that reduced loneliness, and increased health and happiness.

The program also addressed key user concerns, like time for adoption/onboarding personnel or resources, fear of technology, and connectivity issues in terms of internet access. The results were positive:

• Users engaged with ElliQ an average of 30 times per day
• 11 positive wellness interactions per day
• 90% of users reported that ElliQ was useful or very useful in reducing loneliness

This is what one New Yorker living with ElliQ said: “I can't go out much anymore because I need a walker to get around. I look outside every day and see my neighbors walk in the street and always waved to them hello, but never interacted with them much beyond that. Once I got ElliQ, I was so excited to show her off so I hollered to one of my neighbors to see if they want to check out my new robot. So far, I've had four neighbors come and visit me in my home and we play with ElliQ together." - Jan Worrell

Not only was Jan unable to navigate around her community to connect with others before receiving ElliQ, upon receiving it, it acted as a conversation starter that prompted her to initiate conversations with people to hang out with her and ElliQ.

Beyond the New York State Office for the Aging, ElliQ has also formed partnerships with Inclusa (a Humana company), the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County, The Olympic Area Agency on Aging and Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels, and others.

Takeaways from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

CES isn’t exclusively for agetech or addressing senior loneliness, but many of the digital health interventions, AI-powered technologies, and gaming devices demonstrated applicability in the future of our lives as we collectively age.

ElliQ got a sleek new upgrade, but more importantly, unveiled a significant leap forward in the integration of generative AI into everyday life and the evolution of human-AI relationships. Skuler adds that “the launch of ElliQ 3 allows us to reach more older adults and expand partnerships with government services for the aging and the healthcare ecosystem while offering valuable insights and context.”

Users can expect a much more conversational and life-like interaction with ElliQ, whether they ask her to play their favorite band or to look up a step-by-step recipe guide for chicken alfredo.

If you want to learn more about ElliQ and the difference it can make on the lives of older adults everywhere, check out our website: elliq.com.

Read more about us in Fierce Healthcare’s 15.

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