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Despite innovations that make it easier for seniors to keep living on their own rather than moving into special facilities, most elderly people eventually need a hand with chores and other everyday activities.
Friends and relatives often can't do all the work. Growing evidence indicates it's neither sustainable nor healthy for seniors or their loved ones. Yet demand for professional caregivers already far outstrips supply, and experts say this workforce shortage will only get worse.
So how will our society bridge this elder-care gap? In a word, robots.
Just as automation has begun to do jobs previously seen as uniquely suited for humans, like retrieving goods from warehouses, robots will assist your elderly relatives.
Would you entrust grandma to Johnny 5?
(Score: 2) by Valkor on Tuesday August 29 2017, @12:53PM (11 children)
tbh Johnny 5 is the only bot I'd trust with my family.
(Score: 2) by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 29 2017, @01:02PM
What, you don't trust AMEE [imdb.com]?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @01:56PM (3 children)
I'd be willing to trust a robot. However, I would _not_ trust that it's not collecting and sharing data on me. Imagine the privacy and health insurance implications, for starters.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:05PM (2 children)
Past 80-85, I think you can exclude privacy and health insurance implications as a major concerns.
(a-a-a-aaa... don't go there, you have no argument. At that age, heath insurance does not need to spy on you, the first hospitalization will tell them all they need to take a decision)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by ewk on Wednesday August 30 2017, @12:24PM (1 child)
Call me cynical, but eventually the insurance company will make the trade off between 'care' or 'coffin'...
What better spy for providing the information needed for that decision than the care-bot?
I don't always react, but when I do, I do it on SoylentNews
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday August 30 2017, @01:05PM
Cynical? Don't be offended, but I'd call you naive.
Of course their choice will favour "coffin" and, if the insured is over 80, it's a good bet they'll go for it and deny claims.
For the simple reason that you'll need to win a suit against them to get your money.
Good luck fighting against their lawyers when you need money to pay for your health.
Some examples [abc.net.au] in the part of the world I live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday August 29 2017, @01:59PM (1 child)
Mmmm... I'm quite afraid all you'll get is an ED-209 (of Robocop fame); extrapolating the way the things progress now, that's likely all your family will be able to afford when you'll be old enough. Even more, it will be on a shared lease, co-contributed by many families - don't worry, even if not cheap it won't be terrible expensive, the lease won't be necessary for longer than few minutes/family.
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:11PM
Nah, I think they'll have a more pleasant response than that, because it's better for public relations. Something along these lines [youtube.com].
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:40PM
Yeah, he at least took the effort to follow our immigration laws and became naturalized.
(Score: 3, Touché) by hoeferbe on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:16PM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @07:53PM
I saw this the other day and enjoyed it. You beat me to the reference.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:54PM
It depends specifically who in my family we are talking about... but GlaDOS comes to mind as a caretaker.