Robotic Care Givers

In Japan, a company called Nippon Care has been experimenting with robot carers for the elderly and homebound. The robots are essentially companions, providing basic services and helping with daily tasks. These robots can’t exactly replicate human interaction yet, but they provide a much-needed service to an aging population. Studies show that loneliness is not only unpleasant but also detrimental to health when experienced chronically. So how do these robots help? These are some of the ways that robot carers might someday assist humans in need of social support.

Communication
Robots could be especially helpful for lonely people due to the nature of communication. Humans can get lonely even when they are surrounded by people they know. Social interactions can be difficult for people with dementia or other cognitive impairments. This makes it hard for them to initiate or respond appropriately to human-to-human communication. Robots can make socializing easier for people with dementia by facilitating communication. This can be done by having multiple ways to interact with the robot, such as touching, speaking, and typing on a keyboard.

Dementia Care
Dementia is a degenerative brain disease that impairs memory, thinking, language, and social skills. Approximately 50% of people age 85 and over suffer from dementia. Dementia makes it difficult for people to maintain their day-to-day lives. Some seniors with dementia struggle to maintain a healthy, balanced diet and keep their living spaces clean and organized. Dementia can also make it difficult for seniors to plan and execute daily tasks. Dementia care is a growing problem, and the number of people with the condition is expected to increase significantly as the population ages. Dementia takes a physical and emotional toll on both the person with the disease and their caregivers.

Assistance With Daily Tasks
Robots can help seniors with dementia and cognitive impairments with tasks such as meal preparation, laundry, and cleaning. Some robot companions can also remind their owners to take medications and assist with other daily tasks. Nippon Care’s Care-o-bot, for example, reminds seniors to take their medication. The robot can be programmed to take photos of the senior’s daily environment, such as the kitchen, to help with keeping track of what needs to be done next. Robots can even help with managing finances by keeping track of spending.

Entertainment and Companionship
Robots can provide companionship and help seniors maintain social connections. Robots can engage in stimulating conversations and can be programmed with facts and information about the world. Robots can help seniors stay up to date on current events and engage in stimulating discussions. Depending on the robot, owners can connect with friends and family members through video chat. This can help seniors maintain social connections and prevent feelings of isolation.

Lack of Diversity in Caregiving Robots
Robots are great at helping people with certain physical and cognitive impairments. But we need to make sure that we don’t just design robots for the people who are currently being served. For example, robots designed for dementia care are often designed for a specific demographic—white people—that may not be representative of the larger population of seniors with dementia. To create more inclusive caregiving robots, researchers must first understand the needs of people who are underrepresented in the design process.

Where are the robot caregivers?
The health care industry is in dire need of more workers. With an aging population, the demand for home care and long-term care is increasing. Unfortunately, the number of people entering the health care professions is decreasing due to factors such as an aging workforce, low pay, and high turnover rates. Robot caregivers could help to alleviate the health care industry’s current shortage. These robots could provide both long-term and short-term care to assist humans with daily tasks, such as medication reminders, meal preparation, and monitoring vital signs.

Wrapping up
As technology progresses, caregiving robots will become more advanced and will be able to help more people. But we need to make sure that the types of assistance that robots provide are helpful to the people who need it. Robots are great at assisting people with daily tasks and providing companionship, but they lack the skills that humans have—empathy, compassion, and the ability to react to the unexpected. Humans are messy, flawed, and imperfect; robots are tidy, predictable, and consistent. This makes robots ideal for assisting with tasks that require precision and consistency. A robot can help with medications every single day, but it can’t hug someone who is feeling lonely. Robots are great, but they can’t replace humans.