The Javela Friends are a global community of people of all ages, from many different places and walks of life. They’re trained in how to engage, especially with seniors, in cognitively stimulating and socially engaging conversation. And Javela Friends have one other thing in common: they’re great conversationalists who love to meet new people and make new friends. You can see the Javela Friends’ companion profiles here.

When you subscribe, a pre-configured tablet is sent to you, or to the person you designate to assist you. The software on this tablet is designed to be super-simple to use, and it has one function: to allow the Javela Friend you’ve chosen to call you for a video chat at the scheduled time. The tablet doesn’t have any other apps or settings accessible, and no technical knowledge is needed to access the Javela app. The Javela app runs automatically when the tablet is turned on and the app cannot be accidentally turned off or hidden behind another app. 

Then you, perhaps together with a person assisting you, will choose a conversation companion from a list on the Javela Friends website. You will be able to see the companions’ names, locations, photos, and bios, plus their availability schedules, and pick a day and time to talk with the Javela Friend of your choice. 

Once your Javela Friend confirms the appointment, the tablet will display the day and time of your next appointment, and periodically remind you as appointment time approaches. When your Javela Friend calls, the tablet will ring and a blue circle button will appear on the screen. Simply touching this button will begin the call. 

You won’t need to find an app, sign in, initiate a call, or grant camera/microphone permissions. You’ll just need to keep the tablet turned on and charged. It’s that simple.

She’ll probably be fine using it on her own. Javela Tablets and the Javela Friends app are designed to be as simple to use as possible. As long as your mom (or yourself, if you are the user) is able remember to keep the Javela Tablet turned on and charged, and is able to touch one button on the tablet screen when the tablet rings at call time, she should be able to use the Javela Friends service without assistance. 

Javela Tablets don’t have any network settings, operating system tools, or even other apps accessible to the user, and there is no need to log in to the Javela Friends app or to grant camera/microphone permissions. Everything is pre-configured and runs automatically, so the user just needs to hear the tablet ringing and/or see the incoming call appear on the screen, and then touch the blue circle button to answer. That’s it. 

A user with advanced dementia, or who has severe physical or memory issues, might require assistance to retrieve their Javela Tablet near appointment time and set it up in a comfortable position to talk with their Javela Friend. But for most seniors the process is very simple and straightforward, they can manage it on their own, and the technology doesn’t get in the way!

Users with vision loss can still use the service. For users with hearing loss, it will depend on the degree of their hearing impairment. 

Users with vision problems, or even those who are blind, can still talk with their Javela Friend. Their experience will just be more akin to a phone call. As long as they can see the large blue Answer button, or if they have help to learn in which area of the screen it appears (if their vision loss is advanced), then they can answer their calls at appointment time and have a voice conversation with their Javela Friend. 

For users with hearing loss, using the Javela Friends service will depend on the degree of their hearing loss. Headphones or earbuds can be used to make hearing the call easier for a user with hearing loss, but unfortunately those with hearing loss sufficient to prevent even this from helping will likely be unable to use the Javela Friends service. 

If you or a loved one suffers with significant hearing loss, and a combination video and text-chat service might be useful for you, please email us at info@JavelaFriends.com and let us know, we might be able to incorporate those solutions in the future for those with hearing issues!

That’s up to you! You can meet with the same person every week, or you can meet with different people each week. Form a strong social relationship, hopefully a friendship, with one companion, or be a global socialite and meet frequently with new companions. It’s up to the user to decide what works best for you to help you stay socially connected and cognitively engaged.

Social isolation means having few social relationships or infrequent social contact with others. For senior citizens, this often means they have limited interactions with family, friends, or community members, leading to physical separation and psychological/emotional detachment from their social networks. 

Lack of social interaction deprives us of cognitive stimulation, which is vital for maintaining brain health. Social isolation can lead to cognitive decline, increased risk of dementia, and mental health issues such as depression, negatively impacting the quality of life for elderly individuals.

Social engagement is active participation in conversations and interactions that foster connections with others. Social engagement provides cognitive, emotional, and physical benefits. For the elderly, social engagement is crucial for maintaining mental health, cognitive function, and overall well-being. Research such as the I-CONECT study shows that social engagement, including online conversation via video chat, can help mitigate the effects of social isolation, such as cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia.

Javela Friends uses video chat technology with a super-simplified tablet interface to connect seniors with conversation companions. This provides regular social engagement and cognitive stimulation, which helps to combat the effects of social isolation. The Javela tablet interface is designed to be very easy to use, minimizing the technological barriers that can prevent many seniors from using common video chat platforms.