An agent that keeps older people active and connected

In the US, one person in five will be 65 or older by 2030, and there are fewer and fewer people to look after each of them. Care is stretched so thin that it reaches older people only once they are in crisis.

Older people lose their independence in steps. After talking to more than 50 people in Amsterdam and the US, it is clear that isolation is a big part of it: they go out less, see fewer people, and don't say when they are struggling. Senior housing has a coordinator, the person who looks out for residents and organises activities. But one coordinator covers 200 or more residents and can't reach everyone until it is late.

Nonna is an agent that phones older people on their own phone. I started it because of my grandmother, who is now over 80. On each call Nonna gets to know the person, tells them what is on nearby and alerts their carers when something seems off. I built it for coordinators in senior housing, so they can keep up with every resident straight from WhatsApp.

Nonna has been live in one senior housing building in Amsterdam since 27 October. So far every scheduled call has been answered, and a new walking group started because of it. The building is part of a 21-building programme that is open to rolling it out more widely.