Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Launches Virtual Helpline Assistant

NEW YORK—The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) announced the launch of a new virtual helpline assistant that aims to assist families who are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses. The virtual assistant—an avatar named Allison—is a free, fully interactive resource on AFA’s website that intends to answer users’ questions about dementia, caregiving, brain health, memory issues and more.

“This new service greatly expands our ability to provide people with helpful information in their time of need,” said Charles Fuschillo Jr., president and CEO of AFA. “Individuals will be able to get answers to many questions quickly and easily, without having to search through a website, while still having the option to ask to speak with a licensed social worker.”

The company said the virtual assistant is a friendly, professional avatar designed to supplement the work of AFA’s helpline, which is staffed by licensed social workers trained in dementia care. The avatar is programmed to answer hundreds of common dementia-related questions, ranging from basic questions like, “What is Alzheimer’s disease?” to more advanced issues like, “What do I do if my loved one keeps asking to go home when they are already home?”

“Allison will be a helpful supplement to AFA’s helpline social workers,” said Jennifer Reeder, director of educational and social services at AFA. “By providing answers to general questions and connecting users to social workers for help with more in-depth, detailed issues, this new service helps us better serve families, caregivers and the general public.”

The company said virtual helpline assistant users will be able to ask questions by either typing into a chat box or using voice interaction through their device’s microphone and will receive instant feedback and information. At any time during a session, users can ask the assistant to create a ticket and have a helpline social worker contact them to discuss more detailed, complex or personalized issues.

The streaming animation service for this interactive help avatar is powered by software company D-ID and was programmed by David Norris of generative artificial intelligence (AI) company Bold Crow AI.