Challenge Goal
This Challenge was designed to find digital health solutions that can help older adults live as well and independently as possible by supporting their physical, mental, and social health. MeHI launched this Challenge to discover and spotlight digital health solutions that improve the lives of older adults and help them remain active, productive, independent, and socially connected.
Program Overview
Eight finalists were selected to participate in the program in a two-month, virtual Introduction to the Massachusetts Digital Health Ecosystem program, including a speaker series featuring prominent voices from across the ecosystem, including venture capitalists, successful digital health innovators, and leading researchers. Participants were also assessed on their testing and validation needs and then matched with members of the MA Digital Health Sandbox Network. Participants worked with their Sandbox partners to scope detailed testing and validation projects.
Winners Announced!
On Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at the final pitch event at The Engine in Cambridge, MA, a panel of expert judges selected four companies to receive $50,000 each to complete their proposed Sandbox project. Congratulations to:
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Artifcts (Washington D.C.)Artifcts is an online and app-based platform that allows members to capture, preserve, and share the history, stories, and memories behind their most cherished objects. To create Artifcts, members upload photos, video, or audio files, and add a story. Once an Artifct is created, members can choose to privately or publicly share it with family and friends. Artifct will work with UMass Medical School to conduct a pilot study to confirm the feasibility of the Artifcting process as a digital screening tool for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Through the study, Artifcts seeks to validate the potential for a larger scale study of a new digital cognitive health screening product that is low cost, low touch, and broadly accessible across all ages, races, and sociodemographics. |
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Enabled Health (Burlington, MA)Enabled Health is a SaaS platform for hospitals that automates patient mobility at scale via virtual exercise training powered by AI. By ensuring patients receive consistent muscular stimulation, Enabled Health prevents the traditional deconditioning from bedrest that often weakens patients in the hospital and destines them for rehab. With the support of the Brigham Digital Innovation Hub (iHub), Enabled Health will perform a clinical trial to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of automating physical therapy with AI in a hospital setting to reduce deconditioning and need for rehab. Project goals include demonstrating patients’ cognitive and physical engagement, as well as reducing staff burden, length of hospital stay, and need for physical therapy consults. |
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MiiCare (Lewes, Delaware)MiiCare’s AI Home Care Platform uses an optimized fusion of telehealth devices, remote monitoring technology, acoustic sensing, and an AI-enabled digital therapeutics solution, which provides CBT for many long-term conditions through an in-house Digital Health Coach called Monica. Monica is a social AI designed to engage with the older user, monitor the home environment, manage medication adherence, and motivate users to hydrate, exercise, and enjoy a healthy diet. MiiCare will partner with New England Deaconess Association to pilot Monica in a Deaconess senior living facility to optimize care plan assessment and delivery as well as enhance residents’ independence and experience. Their goals are to demonstrate Monica’s monthly engagement rate, optimize the cost of care, measure the family impact of MiiCare, and quantify resident independence, confidence, and satisfaction. |
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Onward (San Leandro, CA)Onward provides technology-enabled rideshare service for older adults with door-through-door service with a Companion Driver. Companion Drivers are specially trained to help riders, especially those with mobility and cognitive impairments, safely reach their healthcare appointments, pharmacy, grocery, or other destinations and safely return home. Onward will work with MITRE to assess the impact of companion transportation interventions on increased appointment adherence and other health outcomes. They seek to increase rider satisfaction, decrease the overall cost of care, reduce avoidable ER visits and hospitalizations, and increase SDOH screening rates. |
