An AI-based empathic virtual companion to track changing health states in persons living with dementia.
Mentia has won a coveted Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Institute (NIH) to extend MentiaCompanion’s functionality so that its AI-driven personas can detect potential acute health events in older adults with cognitive decline, and alert health and care professionals before their condition escalates.
Phase 1 will focus on sustained repeated engagement with our digital companions using advanced multi-modal and sensing technology. Phase 2 will involve a clinical study to test the efficacy of its early detection and alert system.
The project is critical to maintaining high-quality care for older adults relying on resource-stressed hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
Early intervention could shave billions off the global public health spend by helping manage the comorbidities that so often accompany a dementia diagnosis, such as COPD and diabetes. The US, alone, spends some $100 billion more on dementia-impacted patients than those over 65-years without a dementia diagnosis.
Phase 1 begins in August 2025 and will run for 12 months.
