There is always light at the end of the tunnel. The coronavirus pandemic has been devastating to everyone, especially to seniors who are subjected to the highest risk medically and mentally. We rely on the scientists and healthcare professionals to tackle the medical part. Unfortunately, the mental part of the pandemic fallout is left on the shoulders of the senior care centers and families.
California software company HealthJay and the National Adult Day Services Association have recently announced their partnership to address this escalating issue of pandemic loneliness. The industry leading organization and the Silicon Valley tech firm look to the JayPad and HealthJay ecosystem to provide some relief to this mounting challenge.
Pandemic loneliness has caused anxiety, depression, sleep, and food disorders which have inflicted an emotional toll on seniors, in addition to the medical damages that they suffer from COVID-19.
“This virus has taken an extraordinary toll on seniors. Not only medically but mentally. JayPad’s virtual programming can help with social isolation, allowing Adult Day Services (ADS) centers to provide virtual care programs with seniors staying at home,” says Donna Hale, Executive Director of NADSA. “This partnership is the first ever effort for a technology to cater for the Adult Day Services industry. With this pandemic, our industry is working outside of the box to re-establish normalcy for our seniors.”
This nationwide Partnership will potentially introduce over a quarter million adult day care seniors to virtual services.
The tablet “JayPad” is designed for seniors, and adults with disabilities with easy / automated access to a full suite of video conferencing features, allowing more human connections. The tablet users can use their voice to tell a Chatbot to place audio or video calls. The center administrator can schedule reminders for members’ daily video classes, therapy, and social activities. Here is the catch – users do not need password nor log-in to participate in any video conference. A pop-up reminder will show up on the JayPad 15 minutes prior to the virtual class. When it starts, the User just taps a “Join Now” button on an Activity Starting popup, and they placed into their virtual group class!
For non tech-savvy seniors, the navigation to place a call in current overcomplicated devices can be frustrating. Well, with the JayPad, users can choose from their pre-configured “avatar” phone book, or use their voice.
“Seniors are craving for more human interaction, but they are often discouraged from the overcomplicated tech out there.” says Rosita Wong, CEO of HealthJay. JayPad takes a simple approach with a Chatbot and “one-tap to join” group video features which makes senior participation in virtual programming doable. “The industry is responding to the lingering impact of the pandemic with long-term tech engagement. This is a paradigm shift for an industry that has not kept up with the tech world that has progressed so rapidly”.
The JayPad offers virtual classes, COVID wellness checks, social group games, and Smart Features such as voice commands, video calls, social chats, and a check-in button. It is supported by an ecosystem including a mobile app for caregivers to monitor senior JayPad users, and an admin portal allowing adult day centers to deliver daily services virtually.
Sean Allen, CTO of HealthJay, points out that many senior centers are incorporating virtual programming into their re-opening strategy. “Senior-friendly tech that works will lead the industry to a new path, opening doors to care programs for many more seniors in remote areas. The JayPad is designed to achieve just that. Our social games, such as group Bingo, aim not only to provide social entertainment, but also to exercise and sharpen cognitive skills.
HealthJay has designed a family of senior care devices and apps, including the JayPad (tablet), the JayWatch (wearable with fall detection), the JayMobile App for families and caregivers, and FlightDeck (admin portal).
Content is provided by HealthJay Inc. (www.healthjay.com)
