Kylie Meyer
Assistant Professor, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Area of Focus: Family caregiving, psychoeducational intervention, health and aging policy, caregiving relationships and financial well-being, gerontology, artificial intelligence
Nearly 48 million Americans provide unpaid care to family members or friends living with a chronic or disabling condition—spending an average of $7,800 out-of-pocket each year, with even higher costs reported among Latino, Black and younger caregivers. Kylie Meyer, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, is working to ease this financial burden through innovative technology.
Meyer, a researcher specializing in dementia caregiving interventions, collaborated with AI scientist Chitra Dorai, founder of Amicus Brain, to adapt the company’s NeuViCare(™) app, which delivers real-time, personalized support and helps users uncover overlooked assistance programs. The NeuViCare(™) app was recently used to help caregivers navigate complex financial resources. NeuViCare(™) is integrated into Meyer’s existing four-week CONFIDENCE program, which provides guidance on reducing out-of-pocket expenses related to caregiving.
“Caregivers often don’t know which costs can be offset through Medicare, Medicaid or local programs,” Meyer said. “NeuViCare(™) and its AI-digital assistant, Keiko, offers tailored, multilingual support to help families better manage their financial responsibilities.”
Trained on large language models and infused with financial guidance from the CONFIDENCE curriculum, Keiko adjusts to caregivers’ language preferences..
Pilot testing was conducted through the University of Southern California’s Family Caregiver Support Center, and included nearly 60 participants. While early results were mixed, caregivers reported benefits, such as improved awareness of financial aid options and reduced personal spending. Meyer noted that user education and app familiarity are key to improving engagement and outcomes.
“We’re pushing the boundaries of what caregiving support looks like and breaking away from traditional caregiving interventions,” Meyer said. “This kind of adaptive, responsive system may become the norm in future interventions because it’s more dynamic and nimble.”
The pilot studies, including one awaiting publication in “Journal of Applied Gerontology,” were supported by Oregon Health & Science University’s ORCASTRAIT program, with additional funding from the National Institute on Aging and the AARP Foundation. Meyer’s co-investigators include Dorai; Donna Benton of USC; Jaclene Zauszniewski of CWRU; Frank Puga of the University of Alabama, Birmingham; and Jaime Perales-Puchalt, of the University of Kansas.
Through technology like NeuViCare(™), Meyer and this team aim to create more accessible, dynamic support systems for millions of families navigating the financial and emotional complexities of adult caregiving.