BUFFALO, N.Y. — ONSCREEN is a tech startup that launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The product allows people to use their televisions as a fully-automated communications hub for voice calls, video calls, text messages and more.

"It is like an Apple TV or a Roku with a built-in camera and microphones and it attaches right to the top of the TV using a simple HDMI cable," Founder and CEO Costin Tuculescu.

Tuculescu said the company envisioned it connecting people all over the world like on The Jetsons or Star Trek, but quickly noticed a trend.

"What we saw was that family members, adult children that were age of 50, were buying it for their parents that were 75, 80+ who really struggle with technology," he said.

This month, the company began a new program in which it plans to provide about 100 people in New York with the product free of charge. It is doing so in partnership with the state Office for the Aging which provided a $25,000 grant.

"They are one of the most innovative and tech-forward groups in the entire country and they work with start-ups like ONSCREEN, provide them some grants to get the product out as quickly into the community as possible and learn does this product actually help with loneliness and isolation," Tuculescu said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, loneliness and isolation lead to significant increased risk for things like dementia, stroke and heart disease. The surgeon general said it has the same impact on life expectancy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

"It's such a health outcome issue because social isolation and loneliness can have a profound effect on people's physical and mental well-being and it is often overlooked," AARP NY Senior Director of Community Engagement Erin Mitchell said.

AARP did not partner with ONSCREEN for this program but was involved in a program last year with the Office for the Aging that is providing seniors with robotic pets. The group is also asking for $53 million additional dollars in this year's budget for home and community-based services.

"It's a really big issue and it's only growing stronger every day," Mitchell said.

According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, nearly one in five Americans age 65 and older are considered socially isolated and it translates to roughly $6.7 billion in additional Medicaid spending every year. That's why Tuculescu believes technologies like these could ultimately save states money.

ONSCREEN also includes an AI companion that can do wellness checks and provide medication reminders, among other things.

"We believe that having our AI companion checking in every day, ‘hey, how are you feeling today, do you have any pain, any discomfort.’ We can get ahead of these types of issues before they become $40,000 emergency room visits," Tuculescu said.

You can apply for the program here.

AARP also has more tips for adults suffering from social isolation.