Singapore Red Cross unveils "Ella" chatbot to help the elderly living alone

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has partnered with KRDS Singapore and MullenLowe Singapore to develop its first Facebook Messenger chatbot "Ella". Ella is designed to communicate and connect with senior citizens living alone in Singapore.It messages the community on a daily basis to check on their mood and remind them to consume their medication. If the users respond "I'm not okay", Ella automatically sends an email alert to SRC, so volunteers can reach them instantly. The chatbot also allows users to sign up as volunteers for Home Monitoring and Eldercare, SRC's social and wellness programme.According to the press statement, Ella is an example of how technology and Facebook chatbots, specifically, can potentially be used in social service to help those in need.“The Singapore Red Cross has been instrumental in assisting the community of citizens in Singapore that need special assistance. Ella was designed with a simple user interface to deliver its objective of lending a helpful hand at all times. We are positive that this will have a considerable impact on assisting this community in Singapore," Preetham Venkky, director at KRDS Singapore, said.