Technology Transforming Senior Citizens Caregiving
Technology is rapidly transforming the quality of care that senior citizens currently receive and will also get in the future. The focus and goal is keeping senior citizens healthy, active, and alert.
The new technology includes cute robots that sing, dance, and tell stories. Just amazing!
Companies around the world are investing in advanced robots that assist human caregivers by providing care through social interaction.
Manufacturers expect these robots to become very popular to both seniors and skilled nursing home facilities. Globally, the number of people 60 and older is expected to skyrocket from 962 million in 2017 to 2.1 billion in 2050, according to the United Nations.
Technology: Benefits of Robots
Robots will provide social interaction, and also remind you to take your medicine, entertain, and educate you with health tips.
For example, the robot can help patients with congestive heart failure, by tracking medications and activity level. Through a new working relationship with the American Heart Association, (AHA) the robot can access all of the AHA’s scientific-based guidelines. This provides better information. Researchers are now programming robots to assist with late-stage kidney cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
In addition, the robot can check other areas, such as monitoring weight and screening for anxiety and depression. This information is sent to a computer, analyzed, and then sent to human caregivers and health care providers.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is spending more than $1 million in research funding for socially assistive robots. And the market is ripe for investment from venture capitalists, says Maja J. Matarić, a computer science professor at USC. “In my experience, elderly users are very open toward trying technology,” she says.
The National Institute of Aging says that the goal isn’t to replace humans. Robots can facilitate strong relationships with seniors, and help them lead healthy productive lives.
It’s a win-win for everyone.