WSJ: For Dementia Patients, AI Can Be a Good, Non-Judgmental Listener
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NewDays Featured in The Wall Street Journal: AI That Listens Without Judgment
How Sunny is helping people with dementia reconnect, communicate, and fight back against cognitive decline.
NewDays was featured in The Wall Street Journal this week, in a story by reporter Julie Jargon that captures what we're building - and why it matters.
The piece follows Frank Poulsen, a 73-year-old living with Alzheimer's in Des Moines, Washington, who has spent the past nine months talking to Sunny almost every day. For Frank, those daily sessions aren't just cognitive exercises - they're a chance to communicate without self-consciousness, without fear of losing his train of thought, without judgment.
His wife, Cheryl, says she believes his disease has plateaued since he started using Sunny. "Mood makes a difference in cognitive function," she told the Journal. "When he seems stressed, I have him talk to Sunny and his mood improves."
That's exactly what we set out to build: a science-backed approach that meets people where they are, empowers them to keep engaging with the world, and takes the burden off the caregivers who love them.
"It's like physical therapy for the brain." — Daniel Kelly, Co-founder, NewDays
"No matter how many times he tells Sunny the same story, it's like she's hearing it for the first time." — Cheryl Poulsen, wife of NewDays patient Frank Poulsen
"She is very interactive again like she used to be." — Andrea Pidgeon, daughter of NewDays patient TJ Pidgeon
"This is an approach based on evidence." — Joseph Gaugler, Director, Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation, University of Minnesota
Read the full story in The Wall Street Journal, then learn more about how NewDays can help you or someone you love.
Read the WSJ Article → (WSJ subscription required)
