Yapper Insights · Vol. 01

Field notes on loneliness, aging, and the quiet work of keeping someone company.

A slow magazine for families, caregivers, and operators who look after someone they love. Plain writing, real research, and the occasional small story — published when we have something worth saying.
9 pieces
Research

Isolation risk in plain numbers: what loneliness outcome studies actually show.

The headline statistic has been repeated so often it feels mythic. We tracked down the meta-analysis, and the real story is stranger than the soundbite.

ED Ellie Dworkin 9 min · Mar 8
For Families

Six questions to ask your mom that aren't "how are you?"

The standard opener gets a three-word answer. Here are six better ones — and the kind of conversations they tend to open up.

MR Maya Rowan 6 min · Feb 28
For Facilities

Why we built a literal phone booth at Marquis — and what we got wrong the first time.

A hallway, a donated bench, and three iterations later, we had a piece of furniture residents with memory loss actually use.

CH Chung Park 11 min · Feb 19
Field Notes

Margaret, her white fence, and a conversation that lasted four months.

An 82-year-old in Vermont taught us more about memory-aware dialogue than six months of transcripts ever could. A small portrait.

RT Rose Tanaka 7 min · Feb 12
Product

Voice design for people who grew up with rotary phones.

How we tuned cadence, pauses, and turn-taking to feel like a thoughtful friend rather than an assistant waiting to be asked for the weather.

LS Leo Santos 10 min · Feb 2
Research

The difference between solitude and disconnection — and why it matters for how we build.

Solitude is a need. Loneliness is a wound. Conflating them is how well-meaning products end up intrusive.

ED Ellie Dworkin 8 min · Jan 24
For Families

What a good daily summary looks like (and what it shouldn't contain).

We send a short note to family members after every call. Here's the editorial rubric we use — and the three temptations we try hardest to avoid.

MR Maya Rowan 5 min · Jan 17
For Facilities

Staffing ratios are a floor, not a goal: the math of meaningful contact.

Even at excellent long-term care communities, residents get < 4 minutes of 1:1 conversation a day. We did the arithmetic, and then we did something about it.

CH Chung Park 9 min · Jan 9
Field Notes

The day the phone booth replaced the nursing station as the busiest spot on the floor.

A short note from a Thursday afternoon in December. On routines, nostalgia, and why the best fix is sometimes the obvious one done well.

RT Rose Tanaka 4 min · Dec 18
The Monthly

One slow letter, first Sunday of the month.

No life hacks, no pop-ups. Just a couple of essays, a quote worth keeping, and a small something we're working on. Unsubscribing is one click.