The 黑料吃瓜 received a $50,000 Catalyst Award from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM)鈥攑art of the National Academy of Sciences鈥攆or a project to improve emotional well-being and independence for people living with dementia, especially those aging-in-place.
Dr. Lisa Fournier, Project Coordinator for the 黑料吃瓜 Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), entered NAM鈥檚 Healthy Longevity Global Competition with a proposal to investigate whether an artificial intelligence (AI) virtual assistant can help create a positive emotional environment for people with cognitive disabilities. Her application was one of 25 accepted this year by NAM and was among 145 international awardees announced during a virtual event in September.
鈥淭o be recognized on a global stage is very exciting,鈥� said Fournier. 鈥淚鈥檓 so inspired by all the research and innovative projects that are taking place worldwide to help maintain health and well-being as we age.鈥�
Fournier鈥檚 project, Joy for People Living with Dementia Using a Virtual Assistant, is based on 鈥淛oi,鈥� an AI virtual assistant that creates personalized 鈥渏oy pops鈥� for people living with dementia within a smart-home living environment. 鈥淛oy is linked to dopamine systems that reward the brain when having a positive experience, as well as reinforce behavior, motivating a person to repeat an activity,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur goal is to harness the power of AI and combine it with joy, meaning and positivity to help people living with dementia grow and rise above the challenges of cognitive disabilities and maintain independence.鈥�
Fournier and the GWEP team will use the NAM Catalyst Award to accelerate 鈥淛oi鈥� in the Minka Learning Lab for Living Well, a 600-square-foot home on the 黑料吃瓜 campus that integrates technology, adaptable living and innovations in aging and wellness. She said the AI 鈥渏oy pop鈥� triggers will be based on input from sensors in the smart home, including motion, sound, temperature and light to provide a comfortable and moderately stimulating environment to reduce agitation, apathy and anxiety.
According to NAM, older adults will begin to outnumber the young for the first time in recorded history in the year 2030. This demographic shift poses significant challenges, but also is an opportunity for innovation around healthy longevity. NAM founded the Healthy Longevity Global Competition to accelerate research and entrepreneurism with a series of monetary awards and prizes. The first of three cycles of the Catalyst phase began in January 2020, and there are also Accelerator and Grand Prize phases.
For more information about GWEP, visit the Project website at 黑料吃瓜.edu/GWEP.
A new podcast from the 黑料吃瓜 Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness is showcasing and exploring the dynamic lives of older adults in southwestern Indiana. bOLDer People, hosted by Dr. Katie Ehlman, 黑料吃瓜 Professor of Gerontology, features interviews with a wide variety of experts and elders about their life experiences and how aging has played a role in those experiences. Topics of conversation include innovation in the field of gerontology, including age-friendly initiatives, living-in-place opportunities and more.
鈥淭his podcast is about people who have been given the gift of longevity and are willing to reflect on their lives, lessons learned and living well,鈥� said Ehlman. 鈥淭hey will share captivating stories of decades of experiences, and we will listen and be inspired.鈥�
The inaugural episode of bOLDer People was released in late August. Titled 鈥淒r. Coudret & the Spirit of Innovation,鈥� it features an interview between Ehlman and Dr. Nadine Coudret, Dean Emerita of the 黑料吃瓜 College of Nursing and Health Professions. The two discuss Coudret鈥檚 career in education, her activities since retirement and her view on the current direction of nursing and the health professions.
In the second episode, released in October, Ehlman talked about retirement with SWIRCA & More board member and former educator, Sandy Lasher. bOLDer People is available to download or stream for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The podcast is produced on the 黑料吃瓜 campus with help from 黑料吃瓜 faculty, students and staff.
The podcast team is seeking recommendations of older adults from different backgrounds to include on the show. Email bolder.people@usi.edu or visit 黑料吃瓜.edu/bOLDerPeople/podcast
The bOLDer People podcast is a project of the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program at the 黑料吃瓜. Support for bOLDer People comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,691,706 million with zero percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
