Voice AI for Eldercare

Key Impacts

• 88% of users reported increased mental stimulation
• 90% of users reported decreased loneliness in 5-week trial
• Positive effects seen within 3-5 sessions
• 24/7 AI companionship at fraction of traditional care costs

About EverFriends

Loneliness and cognitive decline are major challenges in eldercare. In the U.S., 5.7 million people currently live with dementia, projected to reach 16 million by 2030 (source). Forty-three percent of adults over 60 report loneliness (source), and 24% of those over 65 are socially isolated (source). With professional companion costs rising, many families seek more affordable solutions.

EverFriends leverages empathic AI to provide affordable, always-available companionship. Its mobile app offers compassionate, responsive AI companions that enhance emotional well-being, support cognitive function, and help reduce loneliness in older adults and individuals with dementia.

Integrating Emotional Intelligence with EVI

To create a natural, emotionally aware experience, EverFriends integrated Hume’s Empathic Voice Interface (EVI)—a single model combining generative language and voice, trained for emotional intelligence. EVI can emphasize words, laugh or sigh at the right moments, and adapt to specific use cases through prompt design.

CEO Daniel Hungerford notes: "We were able to implement EVI fairly easily into our app. The team at Hume was very helpful with whatever we needed and with suggestions when we needed further guidance."

EVI has enabled EverFriends to deliver four key capabilities:

1. Adaptive & Personalized: EVI adjusts its pace, style, and emotional tone to each user's needs.
2. Emotional Support: Validates feelings and offers encouragement like “this is normal” or “you can do this.”
3. Cognitive Support: EVI helps maintain cognitive function by assisting with story recall and maintaining consistency in memories. Preliminary research suggests these exercises may help slow cognitive decline (source).
4. Daily Routine Reminders: Delivers daily prompts in a supportive, respectful tone.

EVI's Impact

While still in early stages, integrating Hume's EVI into EverFriends has shown promising results:

1. Increased mental stimulation: 88% of pilot participants reported increased mental stimulation through brief 15-minute digital sessions.
2. Reduced loneliness: In the same pilot program, an impressive 90% of users reported decreased feelings of loneliness during the initial five-week trial, with positive effects emerging within the first 3-5 sessions.

The CEO of EverFriends believes these metrics are largely driven by the voice-based element of interaction. When talking about one particular 77-year-old user, he mentions that:

She found companionship through our app during those quiet evening hours when loneliness felt most acute. Many elderly users struggle with traditional text-based interfaces - speaking out loud is not just more natural, it's more accessible for those with vision impairments, arthritis, or limited technology experience.

Looking Ahead

In 2025, EverFriends.ai plans to expand to users with autism, brain injuries, and mild cognitive impairment. The team anticipates growing its partnership with Hume as features like multilingual support become available, stating, "We will continue to use each other as sources of feedback and improvement to make our missions as effective and impactful as possible for those we serve."

By using EVI, EverFriends.ai delivers personalized, emotionally intelligent care that improves quality of life while easing the burden on caregivers and healthcare systems.

For more information on how empathic AI can enhance your digital solutions, please contact Hume AI.