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How Robots Could Bridge the Elder-Care Gap

posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 29 2017, @12:26PM   Printer-friendly
from the it-better-be-able-to-argue dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

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?

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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by soylentnewsfan1 on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:18PM (2 children)

    by soylentnewsfan1 (6684) on Tuesday August 29 2017, @02:18PM (#560822)
    This was fortold in the classic anime Roujin Z from 1991:

    Roujin Z is set in early 21st century Japan. A group of scientists and hospital administrators, under the direction of the Ministry of Public Welfare, have developed the Z-001: a computerized hospital bed with robotic features. The Z-001 takes complete care of the patient: it can dispense food and medicine, remove excretory waste, bathe and exercise the patient lying within its frame

    I won't spoil it, but things go very very wrong.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:27PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:27PM (#560846)

    Done right (if that's possible), an automated hospital bed could be a useful thing. Our 95 year old friend wound up in the hospital the other day with bronchitis. As expected, the hospital staff are overworked and can't really provide the timely care that would be hoped for. Prompt response to a call for assistance isn't always available, leading to messy accidents.

    A smart bed could also provide various kinds of movement, helping to prevent problems. For example, our friend refused a shot of heparin (anti clotting) every day. We asked an older, experienced nurse why the doc tried to give this and the reply was a little scary--we got a very candid two part answer: It's to prevent clots from inactivity, but for most people this is not a big problem for a few days. The hospital gets reimbursed for these shots, so the staff are told to push them on everyone.

  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday August 29 2017, @05:28PM

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday August 29 2017, @05:28PM (#560953) Journal

    Roujin Z: definite classic if you've never seen it!

    In fact, I might have to find a copy for a re-watch this weekend.