On-Demand Grandkids and Robot Pals to Keep Senior Loneliness at Bay

At the opposite end of the country, in Pembroke Pines, Fla., 87-year-old Marilyn Sumkin uses an app called Join Papa to summon what the company calls "grandchildren on demand." College students show up for shopping, chores and chit-chat. Studies have found that loneliness is worse for health than obesity or inactivity, and is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It's also an epidemic: A recent study from Cigna Corp. found that about half of Americans are lonely. According to a recent Harvard University study, the cost of loneliness for Medicare is $6.7 billion a year.