A new pilot program that is launched today in all New York aims to convert TV screens for older people into custom centers for care, communication and connection.
The qualified older adults will receive Onscreen devices, Inc. that can transform any TVTO as an intelligent care platform, offering key features such as medication remembrance, check-ins that are sent to the phones of their loved ones and rapid video access.
The highlight of the program is a joy, a virtual partner with AI integrated into the system that interacts with the elderly every day.
From personalized conversations and memory impulse games to cognitive exercises and even virtual painting sessions, Joy is scheduled to help maintain the minds of sharp elderly and their lifted spirits without forcing them to learn a new technology.
Help for those who help
The program, created in collaboration with the New York State Office for aging and the association on aging in New York (Agingny), is designed to support older adults; It also aims to reduce the pressure on family members and caregivers who care for them.
Government data shows that around 37.1 million Americans, or 14% of American adults, provide unpaid elderly. While experience can be deeply significant, it comes with significantly emotional and physical tension.
The Onscreen technology aims to facilitate that burden by delivering real -time updates on the well -being of loved ones and daily interactions with Joy, sent directly to the smartphones of caregivers.
It also sacrifices access to instant videos, which allows families to connect at any time, without applications, session or technological headaches.
“On the screen it is about keeping older adults connected with their family, using the simplest and most familiar technology: television,” said Costin Tuculescu, CEO of the company, in a press release.
“By bringing auto-responide video calls, AI company, medication reminders and even television classes, we reduce loneliness and increase the tranquility of caregivers,” he added.
How to register
Onscreen offers 100 devices for free to eligible residents in New York by order of arrival. You can register here.
Participants will be asked to complete card surveys at the beginning, the midpoint and the end of the pilot to help evaluate the impact of technology on the well -being and stress of the caregiver.
The hidden dangers of loneliness
While Covid-19 pandemic may be behind us, the Soledad epidemic continues to affect millions of Americans, special older adults.
In 2024, a national study found that 33% of US adults from 50 to 80 years reported that they were sometimes felt alone or often in the last year, while 29% felt isolated.
The World Health Organization has loneliness a “threat of pressing health”, with risks as mortal as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
It has been shown that prolonged loneliness increases the risk of premature death and is also linked to chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, immune function weakened and obesity.
Research suggests that social isolation also affects brain health, contributes to cognitive impairment and increases the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Mental health consequences are equally worrisome, with solitude linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety and even suicide.
Together together, studies show that people who experience social isolation or loneliness are more likely to end up in the emergency room or in an elderly home.
“The innovative television -based approach from Onscreen, with her integration, AI Joy’s companion, provides a new full version of how to provide attention and support to our population that quickly ages,” said Rebecca Preve, executive director of AGINGNY.
“By eliminating the technical barriers of the touch screens, applications and smaller devices, on the screen it has the potential to have an impact that many of the problems faced by older adults face,” he added.