ONSCREEN, the creator of the award-winning Joy AI Companion for Seniors, has officially announced the launch of Joy Calls, which happens to be a friendly, AI-powered companion that gently checks in on seniors over the phone,
According to certain reports, the stated assistant arrives bearing an ability to offer emotional connection and reassurance for families everywhere, even those without cell phones or internet access. More on that would reveal how such a mechanism should really go the distance to address isolation and the emotional wellness of older adults with zero learning curve or technical barriers, thus giving caregivers daily peace of mind regarding the wellbeing of their loved ones.
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account how loneliness and social isolation are serious public health concerns among older adults, with significant links to depression, cognitive decline, cardiovascular issues, and premature mortality.
Having said so, even short, empathy-focused phone calls have been shown, across several studies, to substantially reduce feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety among seniors in just a few weeks. In that respect, AI-driven companions, like Joy Calls, offer a scalable approach to provide this emotional connection at scale.
The available body of work, in fact, indicates that they can reduce loneliness to levels comparable with human interaction, fostering genuine emotional comfort and engagement over time.
Talk about the whole value proposition on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the promise to support independence and mental wellness. This translates to how seniors can receive caring, conversational check-ins, decked up with gentle reminders and uplifting interaction.
Next up, we have a feature revolving around personal conversations. You see, Joy can be set up with personal information about the senior, provided by the family caregivers, to tailor conversations as per the interests of each individual.
The stated technology can also actively learn about the older adult, recollecting each conversation, and building rapport over time.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the prospect of cutting down on caregiver stress. Every call is essentially followed by a concise update sent to family caregivers, giving visibility into their loved one’s mood and well-being, without extra effort.
Rounding up highlights would be the solution’s bid to conceive multilingual accessibility. At launch, Joy can now speak and understand English, Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Romanian (inspired by the company’s founder’s Romanian roots).
Among other things, it ought to be acknowledged that, if you are a person feeling the effects of loneliness, the service is also available for self-signup. As the loneliness epidemic now affects 1 out of 3 seniors, the service is available for anyone who would enjoy having a companion to talk to daily.
ONSCREEN will unveil, at the beginning, two subscription tiers, allowing families to choose the level of engagement that works best for them.
These offers include a Freemium plan, which ensures that loved ones can enjoy one friendly phone check-in each day, lasting up to three minutes, in English.
On the other hand, we have a Premium plan. Priced at $29.99/month, this particular plan brings forth up to five daily calls lasting up to 20 minutes each, and available in any supported language.
Founded in 2021, ONSCREEN’s rise up the ranks stems from facilitating remote caregiving, reducing loneliness, and promoting healthier, happier lives for older adults. The company is presently focused on supporting face-to-face video calls, medication reminders, recorded wellness check-ins, and social connections.
ONSCREEN’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider its research has found 88% of customers reporting reduced loneliness, and 75% noting increased happiness among their older loved ones.
“Grandparents Day reminds us of the irreplaceable value of our older loved ones, and that these relationships deserve our attention and care,” said Costin Tuculescu, CEO of ONSCREEN. “Joy Calls isn’t meant to replace the phone calls or personal visits that mean so much. We built the service to provide additional engagement and check-ins that entertain, stimulate and delight older adults, on top of existing family touch points. For families juggling too much, Joy can bring additional peace of mind every day.”
