College students to study effects of telehealth, AI on the elderly
A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) program and senior living community are partnering to research the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) and telehealth platforms on seniors in assisted living and memory care communities.
UWM Partners for Health in Milwaukee and Heritage Senior Living announced the partnership in early August. The agreement allows five UWM nursing students to work with the facility’s residents to study emerging technologies and its effects.
Students will use virtual reality, telehealth programs and AI—through a robot named “Jibo”—for their research. The robot will use AI to engage with seniors in conversation to help them combat loneliness, according to a press release.
“This unique partnership will link students with older individuals through education and provide real-life work experiences for students. Student projects will focus on some of the top issues affecting seniors, including transfer trauma, transitions, fall prevention, and loneliness and depression,” the release said.
The partnership began in September and lasts for two semester. It’s expected to expand during fall 2019 to include speech, occupational and physical therapy students.
“We are thrilled to form this partnership with Heritage Senior Living,” UWM College of Nursing Dean Kim Litwack said in a statement. “We want to ensure that our students join the workforce armed with knowledge of the best practices for using technological tools that can improve care to seniors."
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.