Research has long connected the loneliness of older adults living in long-term care to physical decline. But during the global pandemic, the situation has vastly deteriorated.

Lockdowns have forced aged residents to experience greater social isolation. Cut off from outside visitors and contact with other residents; they've suffered increased stress, anxiety, depression, even death.

Current treatments for the aged are limited. Group music therapies are no longer an option due to quarantine restrictions. And the largest class of medications prescribed often exacerbate cognitive function and memory loss in older patients.

As a result, millions of residents' emotional health has seen a significant decline—calling for a new technological solution.

The Mood Modifier from SOLO is an innovative mobile app that can detect, improve, and track emotions—collecting data that signals the selection of personalized music videos proven to increase mood while reducing stress and loneliness.

How can we improve people's emotional well-being in long-term care when we don't know how they truly feel?

The Mood Modifier from SOLO. The first mobile app that detects emotions and picks a selection of personalized music to help patients get back in the rhythm of life.

• The mobile's camera utilizes facial recognition to detect emotions

• Then creates a unique data imprint that ranks happiness, calmness, sadness, energy, and mood

• This collection of emotional algorithms triggers the AI-predicting model and selects the right music for their emotional state

With a simple user-set up and daily, monthly and annual tracking, the staff keeps on top of a resident's progress.

This idea and application give older adults a renewed sense of happiness and joy by enabling them to modify their moods.

Data can pinpoint exact feelings when applying the Facial Action Coding System. This non-verbal identification of emotions developed by Paul Ekman utilizes facial movement to determine different levels of happiness, sadness, loneliness, energy, and mood. When these emotional algorithms are collected and sorted, they can inform a customized musical experience.

Simplicity has the power to change behavior and make a significant impact.

Thus, our strategy for this project was:

• Develop a personal tool that moves people emotionally with music's unique application. And make it so enjoyable and straightforward to use that the end-user and the supporting staff will want to use it every day.

Emotionally charged music has a powerful therapeutic effect only when it hits the right emotional cord.

Through the creative use of data, we found a way to detect the most personal emotions by optimizing a camera phone with facial expression recognition technology. It can analyze the human face to determine what a person truly feels at any given moment.

Once those emotional algorithms are collected and filtered through pre-set preferences, the AI informs the app to select and play a unique collection of music.

Technology designed with special features to create moving experiences as well as simplicity of use:

• Data-driven: Visually monitors the mood and energy levels through the app and dashboard

• Hyper-personalized: Learns and adapts to the preferences of the older adult user

• Contactless: Face activated with no need to press a single button

• Time-efficient: Takes 60 seconds to set up, onboard, and personalize

Having launched the Mood Modifier from SOLO in 2020, we have already seen significant results in helping residents at long-term care and assisted living facilities turn music into medicine.

• 85 organizations, hospitals, and nursing homes

• 33 worldwide locations

• 5000+ older adults

• 30,000+ happiness moments

In addition, recent data indicate when using the app for 15 minutes a day, the following emotional enhancements can be expected:

• 21% decrease in stress

• 27% reduction of loneliness

• 19% drop in pain

• 90% lift in mood

By letting emotions pick the music, older adults can start to feel better.