AlzBetter Dementia Support App

Over 6.7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, with 11 million unpaid caregivers supporting them. As the senior population grows, so do dementia rates, threatening a healthcare epidemic since there are currently no medical cures. Dementia disproportionately impacts women and non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic older adults.

The emotional and financial tolls are immense, costing families nearly $400 billion annually. The average lifetime cost of care per person exceeds $350,000, bankrupting families and jeopardizing economic stability. Caregiver stress also severely impacts health and wellbeing.

Complex care needs compound the burden. Dementia has numerous forms, each with unique symptoms, and recent evidence shows that most individuals have a mix of dementias. Mental illness frequently co-occurs, further complicating care. With ineffective medications and minimal non-pharmacological education among providers, caregiver support is urgently needed.

Caregivers often feel alone and unsupported, without easy access to helpful resources. But studies show that providing convenient access to reliable information and practical solutions makes a real difference. The AlzBetter app offers caregivers exactly that - a trove of trustworthy advice from experts along with a unique set of tools proven to help, available anytime on their phone. With the app's guidance, caregivers can find answers to their pressing questions, useful tips for handling daily struggles, and hope that they are not in this difficult role alone. The AlzBetter app empowers caregivers with knowledge and community, two invaluable tools for successfully navigating their caregiving journey.

With dementia prevalence doubling by 2040, it is imperative we act now. Our mission is to create accessible tools that reduce caregiver stress and improve quality of life for those living with dementia. By leveraging technology and innovation, we can empower families to face dementia with confidence rather than fear.

AlzBetter's new dementia support app aims to provide caregivers with the education and tools needed to improve quality of life for themselves and their loved ones living with dementia. Developed based on clinical studies and insights from real-life caregivers, the app makes support accessible to more people by delivering it conveniently via mobile device. This allows caregivers from all walks of life, including those in remote or underserved areas, to benefit from expert guidance tailored to their unique caregiving needs - right at their fingertips. By leveraging technology to connect and empower caregivers, AlzBetter hopes to ease the dementia journey for all involved.

Currently, the most effective support tools are care partner education and support focusing on person-centered behavioral interventions. The AlzBetter app has taken our 34 years of senior care experience and created solutions for family care partners utilizing the most effective tools currently available. The app includes the following:

1. Support for behavioral expressions. A behavioral expression is considered a specific behavior that may cause a care partner stress. They may include the person living with dementia wandering, becoming agitated or aggressive, hallucinating and not eating, drinking or bathing. The app provides a brief, topic specific video and additional root causes for these behaviors. The goal of this section is to teach families to look for the underlying or root causes of why their loved ones are expressing themselves the way they are, rather than simply blaming the disease.

2. Support groups. Live virtual support groups lead by experienced dementia experts offering a sense of community and pier level support.

3. Interactive discussions. Questions posted by app users answered by our experts along with the community.

4. Redirection tools. Music, videos and games which can help care partners redirect their loved one from a challenging behavior to a more positive place. When used correctly, these tools have proven to be more effective than most current medications available.

5. News. The latest dementia related news including clinical trials, medication updates and studies.

According to the 2023 Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures report, “Technology can also help improve access to care for people living with dementia, especially for those in rural areas and those with mobility challenges. A randomized clinical trial of more than 1,500 individuals across urban and rural areas in three states who participated in a telephone-and internet-based dementia care delivery system found that the system resulted in better quality of life, reduced emergency department visits, and decreased caregiver depression and burden.”

Click the link below to view a video describing the app in its current form.

App Overview

Our app aims to support two key populations: dementia caregivers and those living with dementia. Caregivers, who are often unpaid family members, face immense challenges. The majority are women, with lower incomes and education levels. Caregiving takes a major toll, with high rates of stress, depression and health decline. As dementia worsens, so does caregiver burden. Spousal caregivers have 30% more depressive symptoms than those caring for a spouse without dementia. High strain caregivers have increased mortality rates. Most dementia caregivers work while providing care, spending twice as much as non-dementia caregivers on medical, personal care and household expenses.

Our app provides education, community and resources to reduce caregiver burden. Key facts:

• 83% of elder care is by unpaid family/friends

• 2/3 of dementia caregivers are women

• 25% are "sandwich" generation caregivers

• 41% have incomes under $50k

• 60% lack college degrees

• Minority caregivers face greater demands

• 57% provide care for 4+ years

• Worsening dementia increases caregiver stress

• Caring for a spouse with dementia increases depressive symptoms by 30>#/p###

• High strain caregivers have increased mortality risk

• 60% of dementia caregivers work while providing care

• Dementia caregivers spend 2x as much on medical and personal care costs

As dementia progresses, people gradually lose the ability to communicate and engage with others. This can lead to profound loneliness and disconnection. People with dementia often have smaller social circles as their symptoms worsen and friends or family members interact with them less frequently. Activities once enjoyed with others like going out in public or maintaining hobbies become challenging. Stigma surrounding dementia also contributes to social exclusion. Withdrawal from community and family events is common. Feelings of isolation can exacerbate depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline. Increased support to facilitate social engagement appropriate to a person's abilities is vital. 

A common symptom of dementia is the repeated telling of stories, questions, or statements. This repetition can be frustrating and distressing for caregivers. As the disease progresses, the person's short-term memory deteriorates and they are often unaware they are repeating themselves. They may share the same stories or ask the same questions multiple times per day. Caregivers may find this repetition annoying or upsetting, especially when they are already stressed and burned out. It may seem like their loved one is stuck in time. Repetitive behavior can sap emotional energy as caregivers struggle to respond patiently over and over. 

The new AI virtual companion looks to address both of these issues through a companion to listen to stories and questions over and over as an interested friend, never getting annoyed, frustrated or angry. This provides not only companionship for the person living with dementia, but also much needed relief for the caregivers.

With over 30 years of hands-on senior care experience, the AlzBetter team brings an unmatched level of insight and expertise to our dementia support app. Our team lead has dedicated years to volunteering with caregiver support groups and meeting with case managers representing a Medicaid population of predominantly Hispanic caregivers, listening directly to the diverse needs of real-life caregivers. This direct feedback from the communities we serve has already guided key app enhancements like Spanish translations.

Now, by integrating AI Virtual Coach and Companion features, we aim to remove even more barriers to access and provide personalized, empathetic support in many more languages. Our team's wealth of practical caregiving knowledge allows us to implement technology in ways that truly empower caregivers. At AlzBetter, we are committed to continuous improvement through maintaining strong connections to the people we seek to help - because their real-world perspectives drive innovation.

AlzBetter is pioneering the use of AI technology to provide much-needed support for dementia caregivers through our new Virtual Companion and Coach. With the growing population of those living with dementia outpacing the availability of professional caregivers and dementia training, an innovation gap exists. Caregivers are left isolated and overwhelmed.

Our AI solutions aim to fill this void by making personalized support accessible to all caregivers, regardless of socioeconomic status or geography. The Virtual Companion offers an empathetic ear and practical tips, while the Coach provides customized guidance as needs change over the care journey.

By leveraging AI in entirely new ways focused on social and emotional support, AlzBetter is creating supplemental solutions where human help falls short. We believe this technology will empower caregivers globally with knowledge and connections that were never before possible. Our AI marks a new era of dementia care.

The AlzBetter Dementia app addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 for Good Health and Well-Being in the following ways:

• Provide education and training for family caregivers on dementia care best practices, helping ensure people with dementia live healthy, dignified lives.
• Make information and support services more accessible to caregivers in remote/rural areas through mobile technology, improving their mental health and wellbeing.
• Include content/features tailored to diverse cultural backgrounds to make dementia support more equitable across communities.
• Offer tips on creating safe, enabling home environments for people with dementia to reduce risk and promote healthy lifestyles.
• Provide resources on healthcare decision-making and navigating care systems to help caregivers access essential medical services for their loved ones.
• Partner with health organizations/professionals to promote prevention education and early intervention for dementia.
• Collect data on usage and efficacy to advocate for increased health financing for dementia services and caregiver support programs.
• Overall, enable better-informed, empowered caregivers who can provide higher quality care and improve health outcomes.

So in summary, the app could help expand access, knowledge, resources and support around dementia care to align with the UN's health and wellbeing goals.

The core AI component is a conversational agent (virtual dementia coach) powered by large language models like GPT-3 that can engage in natural dialogue.

Our AI Coach aims to provide an easily accessible, always available resource to educate and empower dementia care partners. By incorporating Constitutional AI principles of justice, oversight, and transparency, we ensure this technology ethically assists vulnerable populations.

The Coach is powered by natural language processing that enables fluid conversations and personalized guidance. Its knowledge comes from diverse training data including care guidelines from trusted sources such as the Alzheimer’s Association and the Dementia Society of America, public FAQs, online care resources, and crucially, our own proprietary Q&A database compiled by dementia care experts over years of real-world experience. This imparts specialized insights to educate on even complex caregiving challenges.

Care partners can turn to the Coach for immediate support on topics like managing difficult behaviors, providing meaningful activities, medication management, adapting the home environment, encouraging healthy habits, adjusting communication strategies, dealing with role changes, and reducing caregiver stress. The AI can provide best practices, share tips and techniques, point to helpful resources, and validate the feelings care partners may experience.

We take stringent measures to foster trust and comfort interacting with AI technology, especially for older users. The Coach and Companion introduces itself and its capabilities upfront and makes clear it has limitations. We enable oversight by care experts who continuously review its recommendations to identify any gaps or improper guidance. User feedback also allows constantly improving the AI's knowledge.

Our goal is for the Coach and Companion to serve as an always-available assistant and friend that educates, empowers, and boosts the confidence of dementia care partners and those living with dementia. By augmenting human caregiving with ethical, responsible AI, we aim to provide the ongoing support and learning every care partner needs.

We implement rigorous guidelines aligned with Constitutional AI principles to guarantee our AI technology assists and empowers users in an ethical manner.

A key focus is enabling oversight and feedback at every stage. Our training data and model outputs are continuously reviewed by both internal and external care experts to identify any problematic recommendations or biases. We immediately fix identified issues and retrain when needed.

We mitigate algorithmic biases through training on diverse, inclusive data that captures a wide range of caregiving scenarios. Privacy and security are paramount - we collect only essential data and anonymize information. Our approach is transparent - we provide accessible documentation explaining our practices and AI limitations.

Accessibility is ensured by designing an interface usable by people traditionally averse to advanced-tech integrated tools. We set reasonable expectations on capabilities and have safeguards to redirect any inappropriate or dangerous content requests to human helpers.

We go beyond just mitigating risks - our AI is crafted to truly support human values. We train our model to provide empathetic responses using real dialogue data. The AI adapts its guidance using personal profiles created through ongoing dialogue. The specialized knowledge from our clinician network imparts practical, clinically proven, human wisdom.

Regular user testing and feedback loops lead to continuous improvements in our AI’s capabilities and its output quality. We believe responsible AI requires vigilance - both in preventing harms and actively promoting solutions that make life better. Our dementia care chatbot demonstrates that commitment.

Here are some potential impact goals of the AlzBetter App and how it can achieve them.

• Improve quality of life for people living with dementia by empowering caregivers with education and support tools. The app provides various forms of training and education, available 24/7 to all users. 

• Reduce social isolation and depression among people living with dementia by facilitating engaging activities and connections.. The games and AI companion provided stimulation and connection.

• Enable caregivers to provide in-home care longer, delaying costly nursing home placement. The education, support groups and resources all empower caregivers and relieve stress.

• Provide equitable access to dementia care resources in underserved communities. This is achieved by making the app available in multiple languages and optimize it for low-bandwidth areas.

• Reduce preventable hospitalizations for dementia patients through proactive caregiving at home. Offering education on topics such as medication compliance for people living with dementia, managing other comorbid conditions and addressing depression all help reduce preventable hospitalizations and ED visits. 

• Lower caregiver stress and burnout rates by providing readily available support and respite.

The key is focusing the goals on the specific positive impacts the app can have on improving dementia care and support through its unique features and reach. The goals should be targeted, measurable, achievable and aligned with the app's mission.

2 full time

2 contractors

Two years

At AlzBetter, we are committed to embracing diversity and creating an inclusive program that serves all communities. We have started translating all of our lesson content into Spanish to increase accessibility. Additionally, we are collaborating with experts from a wide range of cultural backgrounds to help us ensure our product resonates with and represents all users. As part of this effort, we have established partnerships with several traditionally marginalized groups and are offering our app to their members for free in order to gain valuable input on how we can continue improving. Our goal is to foster an inclusive environment that breaks down barriers and empowers all caregivers and families impacted by dementia. We believe incorporating diverse perspectives at every stage will strengthen our program for the benefit of all.

The main changes made:

• Focused on inclusive actions rather than vague beliefs
• Emphasized partnerships with marginalized groups
• Avoided broad terms like "various diverse groups" and used more specific and positive language
• Highlighted benefits for all rather than just the company
• Used empowering, active language like "embracing", "serves", "represents", "empowers"
• Talked about removing barriers and breaking down barriers

Our dementia care Coach and Companion leverage the deep expertise of AlzBetter, which boasts over 30 years of experience providing leading-edge support and resources for caregivers and care partners. This wealth of real-world knowledge is instrumental in creating an AI agent that can provide personalized guidance reflecting practical wisdom.

To further enhance our virtual coach’s capabilities, AlzBetter has established innovative partnerships with clinical experts across primary care, home health, palliative services, and managed care. Together, we form an interdisciplinary committee guiding the responsible development of our AI tools. This clinical perspective helps shape an ethical, useful product catering to real needs of people living with dementia and those who care for them.

Through our existing partnerships, we have seen our proprietary human-led coaching model tangibly improve outcomes by reducing hospitalizations, enhancing caregiver education, mitigating caregiver stress and improving care continuity, and more. We strive to amplify these benefits by making AI coaching accessible anytime, anywhere.

On the technical side, our talented programming team works closely with the clinical committee to translate expertise into a functional, trustworthy chatbot. We focus on both quality and explainability, conducting rigorous testing and audits to confirm the AI provides sound guidance.

Moving forward, we plan to extensively engage caregivers and other stakeholders through focus groups, surveys, and pilot studies. Their feedback will drive continuous improvements to the chatbot's knowledge and conversational capabilities. Our ultimate goal is an AI assistant that feels natural, empathetic, and human.

With seasoned clinical expertise, diverse professional perspectives, and a diligent technical implementation, our solution is well-positioned to deliver true impact. We firmly believe that collaboration and transparency are key to developing AI that augments human understanding and provides comfort to those who need it most

AlzBetter is expanding access to our dementia support solutions by offering our app including our new AI Coach and Companion features to healthcare organizations, senior care providers, and directly to consumers.

Having successfully delivered coaching and education services to managed care groups and senior living facilities, we will now provide our partners with this innovative AI technology as a value-added service for their customers.

Additionally, by launching direct-to-consumer, we can empower the 80% of dementia caregivers who are unpaid family members with 24/7 on-demand support. This enables us to serve the full spectrum of care needs.

With the robust capabilities of our app demonstrated, we will initiate the process of securing private equity investment. This will provide growth capital to maximize our reach and impact as we help those caring for loved ones with dementia feel informed, connected, and supported through our compassionate, personalized AI guidance.

AlzBetter runs a very lean operation utilizing technology and automation to decrease capital costs.

Operational costs include:

• Technology development

• Hosting services

• Backend office support

• Customer support

• Insurance

• Accounting

• Sales and marketing

• Consultants

• Professional advisors

With only two employees, our operational costs are kept low. The CEO and team lead does not currently take a salary as he earns his income form another co-owned business. 

Current operational costs are running approximately $225,000 annually and are expected to increase to $350,000 annually

AlzBetter is requesting $65,000 in funding. We feel that an additional $40,000 would greatly expand the hours our developer could focus on the AI components of our app. The additional $25,000 would be used to add additional client support and awareness of the app.

The Cure Residency is very exciting for a number of reasons. We are thrilled about the mentoring and networking opportunities provided by the Cure Residency. As an entrepreneur with a knack for identifying emerging markets early, I've learned that vision alone is not enough. Hands-on guidance from experienced leaders will help fill critical gaps for me and my startup. The insights we'll gain through mentorship are truly invaluable - the knowledge and skills we develop will propel our success further than funding alone ever could.

Equally as important are the connections facilitated through the program. Having access to an unparalleled network of advisors, partners and collaborators will unlock doors and elevate our business. The opportunity for warm introductions the Cure Residency offers is essential to getting our innovative product into the right hands. This carefully-curated community represents a tremendous opportunity to learn from others, share our own expertise, and work together to change lives. My team and I are thrilled and humbled with the opportunity to be joining this prestigious network of changemakers. The future is bright, and we're ready to hit the ground running.