Tag: Robots

Robots can help older adults age in place
Millions of older adults are living in isolation, with no one to care for them, and millions more depend on family, friends and other voluntary caregivers for their health and safety. Few older adults can afford to pay the exorbitant cost of home care workers who can help them remain in their community and avoid nursing home care. Robots are emerging as a resource that could permit more older adults to age in place.

Jennifer Kingson reports for Axios on the presence of many more robots in our lives. Better artificial intelligence and lower costs have enabled the creation of robots that can do what you might never have imagined. Soon they will be able to prepare food in a kitchen and tend bar. Already, robots can vacuum your home, mow your lawn, deliver your food and, more generally, assist older adults.

Robots can help improve the lives of older adults in a variety of ways. Older adults can enjoy the companionship of robot dogs, that don’t need to be walked or fed. Check out this one, for example, from Sony. Older adults can also rely on robots to get help for them if they fall.

This all said, robots are still pricey, and there’s little good information telling you which ones are worth the price tag and which are duds. So, you might want to hold off on that purchase for now. In the meantime, sensors are lower cost and can also be extremely helpful for older adults.

Sensors can perform vital functions to allow older adults to age in place, while feeling secure; they allow caregivers to check in remotely and ensure they are safe. Motion sensors will tell you how long someone is sleeping at night, whether someone has locked the front door and how frequently a person is getting food from the fridge or using the restroom. You can know when someone’s daily activities change significantly. A body sensor will allow you to know if someone you care for falls.

What’s in store down the road? Robot healthcare workers are on the horizon. They can do all kinds of housekeeping and provide social companionship, friendship! Yes, robots can be entertaining, telling jokes, singing and can have deep personal conversations.

Here’s more from Just Care:
June 13, 2022
Nursing shortage? Robots can help
John Leland reports for the New York Times on robots designed to help meet the needs of nursing home residents. With a nursing shortage, nursing homes are often understaffed. Robots can help provide physical and emotional support, “virtual assisted living.”

The robots are designed to meet a whole range of needs and look like a miniature person, standing four feet tall. They have eyes and mouths, hands and legs. They also have an Ipad affixed to their chests.

One key role a robot plays in a nursing home is companionship. The pandemic has brought with it massive nursing shortages. Reports indicate that more than 400,000 people who had worked at long-term care facilities no longer do. Among other things, this mass worker exodus has left many nursing home residents feeling completely isolated.

What can robots do in addition to keeping people company? They can offer reminders to take medicines, call for help if someone needs it, teach yoga and tai chi. New technologies are enabling robots to tell jokes, sing songs, play games, and kill germs in a room using ultraviolet lights.

Technical glitches remain. As of now, they might fall while demonstrating a yoga or tai chi pose and might not be able to pick themselves up. Before too long, robots will be able to help people recall good memories, be it their wedding or the birth of a child.

What if robots are not your thing or otherwise not available to you? The number of low-cost devices that can monitor just about everything you do and help you in all kinds of ways is soaring.

Here’s more from Just Care:
April 27, 2022
Japanese test technology to improve health of older adults
Today, more than 27 percent of Japan’s population is over 65–the highest proportion of older adults in the world. By 2050, 40 percent of Japan’s population is projected to be over 65. StatNews reports that Japan is planning for the future, testing technology to improve health and the quality of life for older adults.

One technology uses virtual reality to engage older adults. The goal is to motivate and inspire older adults by taking them on virtual journeys around the world. Virtual reality can bring back happy memories of trips and experiences in an earlier life. It can also carry them to places they have never been, all in the comfort of their homes.

A second technology relies on robots to keep older people company, improving their mental health. A robot can feel like a new member of the family. Watch the video below to see for yourself.

In 2060, the number of people over 65 in the US is expected to grow from 46 million (15 percent of the population) to 98 million (24 percent of the population). Will the US invest in the necessary technologies, infrastructure and resources to help ensure a good quality of life for older Americans?

Japan faces its old age with robots and virtual reality

Here’s more from Just Care:
February 13, 2018
Could robots keep older adults engaged and happy?

Lots of work is underway to design robots that help older adults in a wide range of ways. And, significant research has been undertaken on the benefits of robots in caring for older adults. Robots can provide company and many types of stimulation and assistance to people who are living alone. The research shows that older adults like them. Time will tell whether robots become a way to keep isolated older adults engaged and happy.

In some instances, researchers have found that robots reduced stress levels for older adults and improved health. Robots also helped to keep people from feeling lonely and to make them smile. And older adults tended to be more communicative as a result of being around robots. Some evidence suggests that robots can help decrease the level of dementia for some people.

In a study of 13 moderate to severe dementia patients, a humanoid robot was programmed to conduct music therapy, storytelling, language sessions and exercises that the robot described and performed. The initial results show potential benefits for patients with moderate dementia, engaging their attention.

The Accompany Project is working to offer a robotic companion for older adults that provides social, physical and mental assistance in daily home activities. Care-O-Bot 3 can bring you a drink and open the door for you. It can also provide emotional support. Click on the link to watch a video.

According to the International Federation of Robotics, four million service robots for personal and domestic use were sold in 2013. And the market is growing. The cost is still exorbitant for a robot that provides personal assistance like the Care-O-Bot, at $270,000. But the price is expected to drop sharply.. And, these robots could allow older adults to continue to live independently in their homes rather than a nursing home. With time, we can only imagine the caring and help a robot could offer people.

April 9, 2015