AI chatbot aims to fight social isolation in older people

Developed by digital health software developer Alejandro (Alex) Harb, the chatbot called Lena after the Texas Medical Center identified older people experiencing isolation and fragmented care as an unmet need.

The medical centre asked Harb to launch his own company, with institutional backing and support, and he came up with a solution after talking to more than 500 patients about the challenge of “healing alone”. Harb’s solution is Lena, a text-based “companion” using AI to connect with an older person while they are at home.