VitalCaring has announced the results of a seven-month AI-driven cognitive care pilot program. The program provided personalized therapy to patients with cognitive disorders using Constant Therapy’s digital speech, language and cognitive therapy platform as part of its home-based services for selected patients.
Based in Dallas, VitalCaring provides home health and hospice care to patients in the Southern U.S., covering Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Constant Therapy is a digital health company. Its technology enhances the effectiveness of cognitive, speech and language therapy while also increasing access to and reducing the cost of these therapies, according to the company.
The Constant Therapy app uses AI technology to offer personalized exercises that aid in rebuilding cognitive and speech function for individuals recovering from stroke or traumatic brain injury, as well as those living with aphasia, dementia or other neurological conditions. A team of neuroscientists at Boston University developed the app.
“The pilot program was launched to harness the power of technology to elevate the quality of in-home therapy and alleviate the burden on families and caregivers of patients with cognitive disorders,” Janice Riggins, VitalCaring’s chief clinical officer, told Home Health Care News. “The initiative was driven by several key objectives, including enhancing cognitive abilities to improve physical functioning, enabling patients to age in place more effectively, collecting data to support medical necessity and tailor interventions more precisely, and expediting the patient’s journey toward regaining independence safely within their homes.”
The pilot took place from October 2023 to May 2024 and involved 52 patients aged 54 to 92. The patients had various primary diagnoses, including cerebral infarction, brain tumors, dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, encephalitis, encephalopathy and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Patient performance was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment/MoCA and the Saint Louis University Mental Status/SLUMS cognitive screening.
The program included various exercises to improve auditory and visual memory, reading comprehension, speech, attention, problem-solving and visuospatial processing.
“While the primary goal for patients with chronic diseases is often to maintain cognitive function or slow its decline, we observed more gains in functional cognition, and caregivers reported more social and physical activity gains than anticipated,” Riggins said.
Patients in the program showed statistically significant cognitive improvements, including improvement by at least one cognitive level and achievement of normal cognitive function by discharge, according to Riggins.
“Success in the program required both the patient and caregiver to demonstrate a willingness and ability to comply with the recommended regimen,” she said. “Ideally, patients had access to a device compatible with the app to maximize results during and beyond therapy visits, ensuring continued progress post-discharge.”
Patients’ ability to independently access Constant Therapy’s therapeutic exercises at home has proven valuable to clinician-supervised therapy, Riggins noted. The VitalCaring Cognitive Care pilot program aimed to determine how additional therapy tools could speed up recovery and maximize cognitive functioning for VitalCaring patients with dementia-related diseases and those recovering from stroke or other brain injuries. On average, each patient in the pilot could access an additional 11 hours of digital therapy independently.
“This program equips our clinicians with an additional resource to complement their skilled interventions, maximizing patient success,” Riggins said. “It enables us to support our patients longer in their goal to age in place.”
Following the pilot, VitalCaring plans to explore more opportunities to expand this initiative across its network.
“We’ve already begun training clinicians throughout our organization and are committed to providing this valuable resource to all patients who can benefit from it,” she said.
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