BOSTON – November 8, 2019 – LifePod® Solutions Inc., the first proactive-voice caregiving service, announced that it has won the second annual Health Tech Venture Challenge and pitch competition hosted by Advocate Aurora Health, one of the 10 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, and MATTER, one of the nation’s premier healthcare incubators. The second annual 2019 Health Tech Venture Challenge called on digital health startups to reimagine the aging experience with solutions that “improve care coordination, address social determinants of health and focus on preventive care for the growing population of aging adults.”
LifePod is the first proactive-voice, AI-powered, virtual caregiving service developed with a singular goal in mind: To support and improve the quality of life for both caregivers and care recipients throughout their journey together. LifePod’s customizable, voice-first dialogs fit the diverse needs of a wide range of caregivers and their care recipients: older adults aging-in-place as well as those struggling with chronic illnesses or disabilities at home.
“We’re delighted to have won this nationwide competition aimed at addressing such an important and growing issue,” said LifePod CEO Stuart Patterson. “We look forward to collaborating with Advocate Aurora Health and MATTER on a pilot that will demonstrate the power of LifePod’s proactive-voice service, personalized by the caregiving team, to help seniors as they age-in-place live a better life and to also help their caregivers by giving them greater peace of mind.”
“Older Americans continue to make up a bigger and bigger portion of the population, so our quest to help people live well means helping them age well too,” said Advocate Aurora Health Chief Strategy Officer Scott Powder. “We want to invest in new technology solutions like LifePod that will allow people to live happy, healthy and independent lives for as long as possible.”
LifePod’s caregiver-controlled, proactive-voice service is configured to engage in natural dialogs with the care recipient at specific times of the day. These intuitive and friendly interactions are easily set up by a family member or professional care provider, in accordance with a designated care plan, using LifePod’s online Caregiver Portal. By speaking proactively to the care recipient, LifePod can help with adherence to health, wellness and engagement activities whether they be taking a medication, eating a nutritious meal, listening to music, or contacting a care provider in an emergency. The resulting independence makes LifePod care recipients happier, healthier and safer in their home while providing invaluable insights and peace of mind to their professional and family caregivers.
From an initial pool of 62 applicants, LifePod was among five finalists selected to present their solutions to leaders from Advocate Aurora Health and MATTER at a live pitch event on November 5. Ultimately, judges chose LifePod for their “novel, easy-to-use and personalized approach that not only improves health outcomes for aging adults, but also addresses their unmet social, economic and environmental needs.” As winner, LifePod was awarded a $10,000 cash prize, a six-month MATTER membership and the commitment from Advocate Aurora Health to pilot their solution.
The inaugural launch of LifePod’s first-of-its-kind, proactive-voice, caregiving service to the public is coming soon.
About Advocate Aurora Health
Advocate Aurora Health is the 10th largest not-for-profit, integrated health system in the United States and a leading employer in the Midwest with more than 70,000 employees, including more than 22,000 nurses and the region’s largest employed medical staff and home health organization. A national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience, and value-based care, the system serves nearly 3 million patients annually in Illinois and Wisconsin across more than 500 sites of care. Advocate Aurora is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies and is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, and pediatrics. The organization also contributed $2 billion in charitable care and services to its communities in 2016.
About MATTER
At MATTER, we believe collaboration is the best way to improve healthcare. The MATTER collaborative includes more than 200 cutting – edge startups from around the world, working together with hospitals and health systems, universities and industry – leading companies to build the future of healthcare. Together we are accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.
About LifePod Solutions
LifePod Solutions is improving the quality of life for caregivers and their loved ones and clients by providing proactive-voice, intelligent and connected services to support aging adults as they age-in-place and those of all ages living with chronic conditions or disabilities in their homes. LifePod’s intuitive voice service expands the capabilities of popular smart speakers with patent-pending technology that provides natural voice dialogs, configured and controlled by remote caregivers using an online portal. The LifePod family caregiver service offers proactive, voice-first check-ins and reminders, and encourages users to access other online services (e.g., music, weather, therapy, etc.) to enhance their day and help them feel more supported and connected. The LifePod team, led by veterans in virtual assistant technology, speech recognition, IoT sensors and online services for aging adults, works closely with families, professional caregivers, and senior living facilities to improve health outcomes and reduce the costs of long-term care. To learn more or sign up for LifePod, visit www.lifepod.com.
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