The University of Southern Indiana received a $50,000 Catalyst Award from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM)—part of the National Academy of Sciences—for 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 USI Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), entered NAM’s 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.
“To be recognized on a global stage is very exciting,” said Fournier. “I’m so inspired by all the research and innovative projects that are taking place worldwide to help maintain health and well-being as we age.”
Fournier’s project, Joy for People Living with Dementia Using a Virtual Assistant, is based on “Joi,” an AI virtual assistant that creates personalized “joy pops” for people living with dementia within a smart-home living environment. “Joy 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,” she said. “Our 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.”
Fournier and the GWEP team will use the NAM Catalyst Award to accelerate “Joi” in the Minka Learning Lab for Living Well, a 600-square-foot home on the USI campus that integrates technology, adaptable living and innovations in aging and wellness. She said the AI “joy pop” 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 USI.edu/GWEP.
A new podcast from the University of Southern Indiana 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, USI 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.
“This 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,” said Ehlman. “They will share captivating stories of decades of experiences, and we will listen and be inspired.”
The inaugural episode of bOLDer People was released in late August. Titled “Dr. Coudret & the Spirit of Innovation,” it features an interview between Ehlman and Dr. Nadine Coudret, Dean Emerita of the USI College of Nursing and Health Professions. The two discuss Coudret’s 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 USI campus with help from USI 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 USI.edu/bOLDerPeople/podcast
The bOLDer People podcast is a project of the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program at the University of Southern Indiana. 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.
