Loneliness, Mood
Conditions
Keywords
Loneliness in older adults
Brief summary
Baba is a novel AI "care copilot" designed to improve emotional well-being, cognitive stimulation, and social connection through emotionally present conversations, proactive engagement, and personalized communication. Unlike many existing solutions, Baba operates through SMS text and voice calls, requiring no apps, Wi-Fi, or new devices, making it particularly accessible to older adults.
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and preliminary impact of the Baba platform among older adults. This study will examine how older adults interact with Baba, how it integrates into the older adult's daily lives, and whether it contributes to improvements in well-being, cognitive engagement, and self-management. Findings will inform the feasibility of AI companions in supporting independent aging.
Interventions
OTHERAI phone companion
Baba uses a fine-tuned large language model to hold conversations with older adults and analyze tone, sentiment shifts, and emotional cues. The system logs call summaries and risk flags for caregiver review and tracks changes over time.
Sponsors
Johns Hopkins University
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Baba Care, Inc.
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Lives alone * Responds "occasionally" or "most" to the exhaustion questionnaire: 1. "How often in the last week did you feel that everything you did was an effort?" 2. "How often in the last week did you feel that you could not get going?" * Willingness and ability to regularly engage with Baba for 12 weeks
Exclusion criteria
* Significant cognitive impairment that prevents consent or participation * Inability to communicate via SMS or phone * Severe hearing or speech impairment precluding use of voice interaction
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliness as assessed by the UCLA Loneliness Scale | 12 weeks | Pre- and post-pilot assessments will measure changes in self-reported loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale). Score range 20-80, higher score worse loneliness. |
| Mood as assessed by the Patient Health Questionnare (PHQ-9) | 12 weeks | Pre- and post-pilot assessments will measure changes in self-reported mood (PHQ-9 or GDS). Total score range 0 to 27, with higher score indicating more severe depressive symptoms |
| Mood as assessed by the Geriatric Depression scale (GDS) | 12 weeks | Pre- and post-pilot assessments will measure changes in self-reported mood Total score range 0-15, with higher score indicating worse depression. A score ≥ 5 typically suggests depression. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTJACQUELINE M LANGDON, M.S.
CONTACTPeter M Abadir, M.D.
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORPeter M Abadir, M.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Outcome results
None listed