New York State Turns Focus On AI To Help Senior Population

New York State is focusing on the latest technology to try to reduce one of our country's senior population's greatest challenges, loneliness. Researchers from the state's Office of the Aging is using a technology called ElliQ that is designed to reduce a person's feeling of isolation and being out of touch.

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This is important research, especially in the Empire State. There are 19.7 million New Yorkers and 4.2 million of them are over the age of 60, according to census.gov. Seniors are at a higher risk for loneliness and isolation. Their children grow up. Family and friends move away, while others die. Physical challenges isolate many older adults. Loneliness can effect anyone, anywhere.

Sheryl Nance-Nash of newsday.com spoke to Dr. Richard Zweig, a geriatric psychologist and associate professor at Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in the Bronx about the importance of reducing loneliness in the senior population. “If you’re disconnected, you’re more likely to develop an illness you might otherwise have been able to fight off if you had high levels of connection.” A healthier senior population puts less strain on the state's medical system financially and in the hospitals.

According to the article by Nance-Nash, the state sent out 800 white tablet-like devices to older New Yorkers. The robotic technology is called ElliQ. The state is claiming the project has been successful. The article says that users of the technology "have experienced a 95% reduction in loneliness and a “great improvement in well-being.” Those are some incredibly positive results. Can technology replace human contact? Never, but it may be able ease the gaps in between, where loneliness sets-in, for many isolated seniors.

Newsday interviewed adult caseworker Leslie Rosado-Butler, who said EllieQ has helped her client. “This is a big part of her life now, between the music, inspirational quotes, the balance-building exercises where she has a visual of the teacher doing moves, and real conversations. ElliQ says hello and calls her by name, asks how she is doing and engages with her. ElliQ has learned her personality, and will ask her, ‘Are you going to have your coffee now?" For many people all over the world, simple things like that, may make an incredible difference in their quality of life. This is great research on many levels.