Web-based App to Alleviate Loneliness and Isolation in Older Adults at Home

ABSTRACT Loneliness contributes to physical and psychological chronic illnessesfunctional decline and mortality in older adultsThe fast growing older population coupled with the worsening shortage of caregivers will soon present our nation with severe societal and economic challengesOlder adults often struggle to maintain quality of life and independence in the presence of chronic diseases and isolationSocialization has been shown to reduce chronic diseasedepressionand to improve quality of life in older adultsMotivation and feedback are essential to continued engagement but doing so through the traditional manner of in person coaching can be prohibitively expensiveVigorous MindVMhas been providing a web based platform to promote sustained engagement of older adults primarily in groups in senior living facilitiesThe platform provides dynamic and tailored content for group activities including reminiscence activitiesfavorite music and videoadaptive computer games and communicationA new mobile app will be developed to enable older adults at home to connect and participate in group activities in senior centers and independent senior living communitiesWith the help of the Consortium on Technology for Proactive Carewe will enhance the current VM system with a health coach with automated tailored messaging and incentives for continued engagement and adherenceThis will optimize the VM system for home based deploymentthus expanding the reach and impact of VM to potentially delay or even prevent institutionalization among older adults living independently There is a compelling need for a tool that can alleviate loneliness and increase older adultssocialization to reduce chronic diseasedepression and decline and to improve quality of life in this fast growing populationThe proposed integrated web based platform represents the first step in the development of environments that combine human and machine intelligence in order to facilitate socialization for older adults and to enhance their quality of life