Today we released JoyTablet 7.0, the biggest update yet to our AI companion for older adults and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). If you run a senior living community or support people with I/DD, this post covers what’s new and what it means for your residents, their families, and your staff.
The short version: residents get a companion they can use just by talking, families get an easy way to stay involved, and your team spends less time on routine prompts and tech support.
A companion residents actually want to use
Engagement tools only help if people use them. In 7.0 we focused on making Joy someone residents look forward to talking to every day.
Joy now has an animated face. She blinks, reacts, and her mouth moves as she speaks, so a conversation feels like talking to someone rather than to a screen. It also makes it obvious when Joy is listening and when she’s talking, which helps residents who are hard of hearing or new to technology.
Her voice is also much more natural, built on the latest AI voice models. She laughs at a joke and says “bless you” when someone sneezes. Small moments like these are what turn a device into a daily habit.
No touchscreen skills required
With the new “Hey Joy” wake word, residents can start a conversation from across the room without touching the tablet. That matters for anyone with limited mobility, arthritis, low vision, or limited reading ability. If a resident can talk, they can use Joy.
For staff, that means fewer calls to come help with the tablet.
Less routine prompting for your team
A lot of staff time goes to small, repeated tasks: reminding a resident about medication, an appointment, or an activity. JoyTablet 7.0 lets residents set and receive their own reminders just by asking:
- One-time reminders, like “remind me at 4 o’clock to get the mail.”
- Daily reminders, like “every day at 9 a.m., remind me to take my pills.”
- Weekly reminders on specific days, like “every Tuesday and Thursday at 10, remind me I have physical therapy.”
- Timers for anything that needs one.
Residents keep their routines with more independence, and your team gets back time for the work that needs a person.
Something to do between activities
The hours between scheduled activities are often the loneliest. Joy fills them. Residents can ask her to play favorite music or videos, read local news headlines, check the weather, or search the web on anything they’re curious about. Safe Search is always on.
Families stay involved without adding to your workload
Alongside JoyTablet 7.0, we released ONSCREEN JoyFamily 7.0, the companion app families use from their own phones. Family members can set up a tablet themselves with step-by-step guidance, invite siblings and grandkids, choose which photos appear on the tablet, and post a message on the home screen.
They can also make video calls to the tablet, so residents can see family without staff having to set up a call.
Run every tablet in your community from one place
Behind every JoyTablet is Enterprise Manager, the tool your staff use to set up and support residents across the whole community. From one screen, your team can:
- Set up reminders and routines for each resident, like medication times, meals, activities, and appointments, and Joy delivers them on schedule.
- Schedule AI check-ins so Joy checks in with residents at the times you choose.
- Video call any resident instantly. When someone needs more help, staff can see and talk with them face-to-face right away, without walking across campus.
- Manage every tablet as one fleet. See all the tablets in your community and each one’s health status at a glance, so your team knows which ones need attention without going room to room.
Residents get support the moment they need it, and your team spends its time with residents instead of walking the halls.
Built with an I/DD provider
JoyTablet has found a strong fit in I/DD services. We’ve worked closely with Charles Lea Center, which uses ONSCREEN technology across its residences and has co-designed features with us. Much of what makes JoyTablet work for people with disabilities came from their staff’s feedback.
For I/DD providers, 7.0 means voice-only use for people with limited fine motor or reading skills, reminders that build independence with daily living, an expressive face that’s easier to engage with, and a locked-down device with nothing to get lost in or break.
Easy to roll out
JoyTablet runs on any Android tablet or iPad, including tablets residents or your community already own. In kiosk mode, the tablet does one thing: it’s Joy. Plug it in and it stays on and ready, with no menus or apps for residents to get lost in.
JoyTablet is part of the JoyLiving platform, alongside JoyReceptionist and JoyCalls.
Why we built it
“Families want to stay close to the people they love, even from far away, and older adults want to keep up with technology that empowers them and brings them independence,” said Costin Tuculescu, CEO and Co-founder of JoyLiving. “JoyTablet 7.0 is the most engaging and capable Joy we’ve ever built, and JoyFamily 7.0 means any family can have it up and running on a tablet they already own, in minutes.”
Get started
JoyTablet 7.0 is available now on Android tablets and iPad. JoyFamily 7.0 is available now on the App Store and Google Play. Download both at joytablet.com.
For a closer look at the new features from a family’s point of view, read Meet the New Joy: Introducing JoyTablet 7.0.
Want to bring JoyTablet to your community? Book a 30-minute demo.
JoyLiving is by ONSCREEN, Inc., based in Orange County, California. Learn more at joyliving.ai.
