RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK — Triangle start-up CareYaya has been announced as a finalist for the a2 Pilot Award from Johns Hopkins University’s Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory (AITC) for Aging Research.
The grant is pending final approval by the National Institute on Aging. Once approved, CareYaya plans to use the funding for the development and evaluation of its caregiver education platform, supported by AI and designed to provide easy-to-use, micro-learning content to support a population of caregivers.
According to some estimates, more than 40 million Americans provide care to an adult over the age of 50; that represents 17% of the population. By 2034 the number of adults over 65 will outnumber those under 18, pointing to an alarming shrinking of potential caregivers in relation to those who will need support.
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CareYaya’s core business is the facilitation of elder care options through partnerships with healthcare students in higher education, but the company has already been hard at work on AI-powered support for caregivers. In June the company announced the development of a tool to provide meal planning, medical documentation for common needs, and assistance with outreach to providers, nicknamed “Cara.”
Neal K. Shah, Founder and CEO of CareYaya, shared his excitement about the award in a press release Monday.
“We’re honored to be named an award finalist for this highly selective national aging research grant,” said Shah. “CareYaya has already tapped into the immense potential of empowering student caregivers through our rapid growth serving families nationwide. With Johns Hopkins AITC’s cutting-edge expertise in AI implementation, we can scale YayaGuide as a transformative mobile solution cultivating specialized skills for both professional and familial dementia caregivers when they’re needed most.”
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CareYaya is also looking for help improving its AI models, and they’re going straight to the source. The company has announced an “Aging Intelligence Internship” program, which will be utilizing local retirees to assist with artificial intelligence model refinement via surveys and facilitated discussions.
Interested in participating? More information about the program is available at https://ai-program.careyaya.org.
