A Rhode Island startup is developing technology to ease the anxiety of Alzheimer's patients.
The rates of people suffering from the dementia-causing disease is nearing 50 million people worldwide and by some estimates, may double by 2060.
As Alzheimer's worsens, those afflicted can sometimes fall into patterns of hand wringing, pacing and rocking back and forth to ease anxiety. Marshall said she also saw the soothing effects a rocking motion had on both groups. SoulCare Innovations co-founder Mary Beth Marshall worked for years as a nurse and later in end-of-life care as a chaplain. She noticed the parallels between the neurological development of infants and the progressive neurological degeneration of people with Alzheimer's.
From there, she proposed the idea of developing an automated rocking mechanism to help manage agitation experienced by people with Alzheimer's dementia.
While the Providence-based company was formally incorporated in 2021, Marshall's idea has been in development since 2019. Using technology that includes a live video feed to detect facial expressions, a heart rate monitor, pressure sensors and a microphone, the IQ-Rock is designed to automatically detect when users aren't feeling well and start gently rocking them without the need for a caretaker. Since the IQ-Rock is not a chair, users do not have to give up their favorite chair or deal with having to be transferred from their wheelchair to experience the benefits of the rocking motion.
Earlier this month, SoulCare co-founders Anubhav Tripathi and Marshall reported they had started fundraising beyond their own initial capital with a $100,000 private angel investor with a personal interest in helping to improve care for people with Alzheimer's.
According to SoulCare spokesperson Yasmin Karasu, there are currently three employees in addition to the two founders. The company plans to begin formally hiring once they secure the next round of funding.
Karasu said the need for innovative care options for this group is only going to grow.
"While impairments in cognition, particularly memory, are typically the defining features of clinical syndrome, behavioral symptoms are extremely common, affecting up to 90% of patients. Behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease can be difficult to manage," she said. "The IQ- Rock is a safe intervention to assist in managing symptoms of patients who have this disease or other impairments."
Karasu said SoulCare is aiming to finish R&D and start production for the first round of devices next year.
"We expect that the next iterations of the IQ-Rock will include additional features," she said. "While testing our product in two different nursing home settings, the IQ -Rock was able to soothe patients who were experiencing agitation and/or anxiety."
According to SoulCare, the device eliminated the need for anxiety medication in several instances, one of the primary goals of the new tech.
