(2019-02-23) Mims Ondemand Grandkids And Robot Pals To Keep Senior Loneliness At Bay

Christopher Mims: On-Demand Grandkids and Robot Pals to Keep Senior Loneliness at Bay.

Sue Karp begins every day by greeting her robot companion, ElliQ. The robot greets her back.

87-year-old Marilyn Sumkin uses an app called Join Papa to summon what the company calls “grandchildren on demand.” College students show up for shopping, chores and chit-chat.

tech can also be part of the solution, says psychologist (and Wall Street Journal contributor) Susan Pinker, whose book, “The Village Effect: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make Us Healthier and Happier,” describes the day-to-day interactions that are integral to a long and satisfying life.

All humans need deep connections to friends and family. But, as Dr. Pinker discovered when studying the exceptionally long-lived residents of villages in Sardinia, we also need day-to-day interactions with our weak ties—the neighbors, shopkeepers, librarians and others we regularly say hello to.

This wave of funding is in part due to how private insurers in the Medicare Advantage program have more flexibility to pay for supplemental benefits, says Andrew Parker, founder and chief executive of Papa, which currently operates only in Florida.

As of 2019, some Medicare Advantage plans can pay for a wide range of benefits the Department of Health and Human Services calls “primarily health related.” These include housekeeping, fitness trackers, non-medical transportation and even groceries.

Even Apple is in talks with private insurers to pay for Apple Watches with fall sensors in order to monitor vulnerable seniors

Ten hours a week of Papa service is covered for members of Humana ’s Medicare Advantage insurance who are in a pilot program in and near Tampa.

Papa schedules pals for seniors based on who is available, charging $17 an hour, $10 of which goes to the pal. For an additional $30 a month, clients can choose their pals.

ElliQ consists of a tablet, a pair of cameras and a small robot head on a post, capable of basic gestures like leaning in to indicate interest and leaning back to signal disengagement.

Unlike Amazon Alexa or similar voice-activated assistants, ElliQ is capable of spontaneous communication, has a wide variety of responses and behaves unpredictably. Its creators say this is essential to making it feel, if not alive, then at least present. It uses what its creators call cognitive AI to know when to interrupt with a suggestion—“Take your medicine”—and when to stay quiet, such as when a person has a visitor.

ElliQ costs $1,500 up front, not including service fee of $35 to $50 a month

Using pets as a model, they first thought that dogs and cats alleviate loneliness by giving love and demanding care. “But when we went deeper we discovered it’s a lot to do with the feeling of acknowledgment. They walk into a room and the dog acknowledges their presence.

One of the main purposes of ElliQ is to help its owner connect daily to other family members. Through an app, ElliQ will prompt children and grandchildren to start video chats with their relative, send notes and links, and share photos.

ElliQ is undergoing a trial with 100 participants

to verify that ElliQ alleviates feelings of loneliness. If so, the robot might be eligible for coverage under Medicare Advantage, says Dr. Skuler.