Terms of Service

Effective Date: 6/15/26
Last Updated: 6/15/26

TL;DR — The Short Version

1. Acceptance of These Terms

By using rielderinfo.com (the “Site”) or its AI-powered Chatbot feature (the “Chatbot”), you agree to these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use the Site or Chatbot. RI Elder Info may update these Terms at any time. The updated Terms will be posted here with a new effective date. Your continued use after that date is your acceptance of the changes.

These Terms apply to all users of the Site and Chatbot, including visitors who do not interact with the Chatbot directly.

2. Chatbot Consent

Before using the Chatbot, you must affirmatively check a box confirming: “I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.” The Chatbot will not activate until you do. Passive browsing of the Site is not an agreement to these Terms with respect to the Chatbot.
The Chatbot will also provide an audio notification at the start of each session confirming that you are speaking with an AI, that it can make mistakes, and that it does not provide medical, legal, financial, or estate planning advice. Your continued use after that notification is your consent to proceed.

3. About the AI Chatbot

3.1. What It Is.

The Chatbot is an AI-powered tool that provides information on Federal, State and Local information and resources for older adults, caregivers and the professionals who serve them in Rhode Island. It is designed to help you identify services, ask better questions, and find publicly available information. It is programmed to only provide content that has been vetted and posted on this site. It does not search the internet independently. However, chatbots can still hallucinate and fabricate information. It is important to independently verify all information before acting on it from trusted sources.

3.2. What It Is Not.

The Chatbot is not a human. It is not a licensed professional. Nothing the Chatbot says is medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, or estate planning advice. The Chatbot can make mistakes. You must verify any information it provides with a licensed professional before making any decision about health care, legal matters, or finances. The Chatbot will remind you of this at the start and end of each session. If at any point the Chatbot’s response seems incorrect or concerning, stop the session and consult a professional directly.

3.3. Voice Feature.

The Chatbot includes a voice input feature. Your voice is a biometric identifier under Rhode Island law, R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-48.1-1 et seq., and under the laws of several other states. By using the voice feature, you consent to the processing of your voice input as described in our Privacy Policy. You may use text input at any time.

3.4. Language Access.

The Chatbot is designed to respond in multiple languages. While we work to ensure accuracy across languages, responses in languages other than English may not have been independently verified by a licensed professional in that language. Use the same caution you would with any AI-generated content.

4. How You May Use This Site

You may use the Site and Chatbot for personal, non-commercial purposes to gain information on Federal, State and Local information and resources for older adults, caregivers and the professionals who serve them. This means:

• You may browse the Site and use the Chatbot for yourself or to help someone in your care
• You may share links to pages on this Site
• You may print or save information from the Site for personal use

You may not:

• Use the Site or Chatbot to collect or harvest data about other users
• Use automated tools (scrapers, bots, spiders) to access the Site or Chatbot
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, extract, or copy the Chatbot’s underlying model, training data, or system prompts
• Engage in any activity that could harm, disable, overburden, or impair the Site or Chatbot, or interfere with any other user’s access or use, including but not limited to hacking, introducing malware or viruses, or launching denial-of-service attacks
• Use the Site or Chatbot for any commercial purpose without our written permission
• Input false or misleading information into the Chatbot in a way designed to generate harmful outputs
• Use the Site or Chatbot in any way that violates applicable law

We reserve the right to monitor user conduct to ensure compliance with these Terms of Service, and to enforce our acceptable use policies by removing content, suspending access, or terminating accounts that violate these terms.

5. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site, including text, images, graphics, the Chatbot interface, and the underlying website design, is owned by RI Elder Info or its licensors and is protected by copyright law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Site content without our written permission.

The information and resources listed on the Site (for example, names, phone numbers, and descriptions of third-party services) are compiled for public benefit. That compilation is our intellectual property, even though the underlying facts are not.

All rights are reserved. Your limited license to view and interact with the content may be revoked at any time without notice.

6. Copyright Infringement Claims

RI Elder Info respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects users to do the same. If you believe that any content on the Site infringes your copyright, please notify us in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 512. Your notice must include:

• (a) a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized representative;
• (b) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;
• (c) identification of the material claimed to be infringing and its location on the Site;
• (d) your contact information, including address, telephone number, and email;
• (e) a statement that you have a good faith belief that the use is not authorized; and
• (f) a statement under penalty of perjury that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Send copyright infringement notices to: deb@rielderinfo.com

7. Third-Party Information and Links

The Site and Chatbot contain information about and links to third-party services and organizations. We do not control those third parties, do not guarantee the accuracy of their information, and are not responsible for their services, practices, or privacy policies. A link or mention on this Site is not an endorsement.
If you contact a third-party service through a referral from this Site, your relationship with that service is governed by that service’s own terms. RI Elder Info is not a party to that relationship.

8. Newsletter and Communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter, you consent to receive email communications from RI Elder Info at the address you provide. We do not share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by emailing deb@rielderinfo.com.

If you provide a phone number through any form on this Site, you consent to receive informational calls or texts from RI Elder Info at that number. Standard message and data rates may apply. This consent is not a condition of receiving any service. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any text message or by emailing deb@rielderinfo.com. These disclosures are provided in accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227.

9. Not a HIPAA-Covered Entity

RI Elder Info is not a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164. HIPAA does not apply to this Site or Chatbot. While we handle any health-related information you share with care and in accordance with our Privacy Policy, your use of this Site does not give you HIPAA rights against RI Elder Info.

Nothing on this Site or in the Chatbot creates a patient-provider relationship, a client-attorney relationship, or any other professional relationship.

10. Limitation of Liability

RI ELDER INFO PROVIDES THIS SITE AND CHATBOT AS-IS AND MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ABOUT THEIR ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. We do not warrant that the Site will be error-free, that the Chatbot will always give accurate responses, or that any specific resource listed on the Site will be available when you contact it.

To the fullest extent permitted by Rhode Island law, RI Elder Info is not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site or Chatbot, including damages resulting from reliance on any information provided. RI ELDER INFO’S TOTAL LIABILITY, AFTER ANY APPLICABLE FEES OR EXPENSES, FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR CHATBOT IS LIMITED TO $100. This limitation reflects that RI Elder Info provides this service at no charge to the public.

Some states do not allow certain limitations of liability, so the above may not apply to you in full. Rhode Island law governs these Terms to the extent permitted.

11. Your Responsibility

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless RI Elder Info, its officers, board members, and staff from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Site or Chatbot in violation of these Terms or applicable law.

12. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Rhode Island, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Site must be brought in the state or federal courts located in Providence County, Rhode Island, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Before filing any claim, you agree to contact us in writing at deb@rielderinfo.com and give us 30 days to resolve the issue informally.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. We will post the updated Terms here with a new effective date. If the change materially affects your rights, we will provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Site or Chatbot after the effective date is your acceptance of the updated Terms.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms go to:

Deb Burton, Executive Director RI Elder Info
10 Davol Sq Unit 100, Providence, RI 02903
deb@rielderinfo.com
401-585-0509