K4Connect’s Staff Assistant and Pryon Answers work together to assist senior living caregivers with fast and accurate answers to new and important questions amid COVID-19.
By: Chantal Allam
July 1, 2020
RALEIGH — K4Connect believes artificial intelligence (AI) can help to improve the lives of seniors living in assisted living communities, especially during a pandemic.
That’s why the Raleigh startup, which creates technology solutions for older adults and individuals with disabilities, has teamed up with another local tech firm, Pryon, to bring AI-powered staff assistants to its clients. It currently serves tens of thousands of residents at over 800 continuing care, independent living, assisted living and memory care communities across the nation.
The AI effort is one of several K4 has launched in attempts to improve senior care during the pandemic.
HOW IT WORKS
With K4Connect’s Staff Assistant, caregivers simply ask their AI assistant questions about company policies and procedures, government regulations, and best practices from the latest medical reports and research. To always deliver the best answers, Pryon Answers ingests documents, links, and other data sources selected by senior living operators, then creates a sophisticated AI-model based on that information. Operators can update the answers delivered to caregivers by having Pryon Answers ingest new or replacement documents.
“This technology is not about replacing the human element, rather assisting the caregiver to do their work more efficiently,” CEO Scott Moody told WRAL TechWire. “For caregivers, AI can deliver more efficient support systems and tools (saving themtime), data-driven practices that enable better decision-making, and increased awareness of resident behavior/interest that ultimately fuel better care.”
Scott Moody, of K4Connect, talks to a resident at The Cardinal, where technology is custom designed for seniors to engage and enjoy. (WRAL photo by Mandy Mitchell)
“Dedicated caregivers for older adults were already heroes. With COVID-19, these frontline workers have proven to be superhuman,” said Igor Jablokov, CEO of Pryon, in a statement. “Even so, they are being impacted by the tremendous workloads, risks to their own health, and lack of fast and accurate answers to new and important questions. This is the perfect opportunity for AI to augment people so they can thrive and do their jobs better than ever before.”
