Page 24 Healthy Cells Magazine Peoria June 2014

Why Were
Talking About
ROBOT
Caregivers
for Seniors
By Lutheran Hillside Village
mr. roboto, rn
shortages to handle the growing need for caregivers you can
see why this conversation is beginning to heat up.
Right now, major companies and think tanks are working toward
developing helper machines to assist seniors in their homes. One
robotics firm, Giraff Technologies, predicts this new market could
become a $10 billion a year industry by as soon as 2016.
Slowly but surely, robots are becoming a part of everyday life.
After all, Roomba self-guided vacuums have been tidying up our
houses for years and law enforcement agencies have been using
robots for bomb disposal details for almost as long. But is it inevi-
table that robots will find their way into the medical industry?
The jury is still out on that. Either way, its important to remem-
ber that, just like the flying car, no invention is inherently good or
bad. Its all in how its used.
I think its safe to say that no robot will ever really be able to
replace a human nurse in the ways that really matter, says Jen-
nifer Duhon, director of assisted living at Peorias Lutheran Hillside
Village senior living community. Its one thing to pass out medica-
tions and register vital signs, but human interaction plays such a
crucial role in health care.
Its all about the little things, Jennifer says. A comforting
touch on the shoulder. Being able to read the need in a persons
eyes when they dont want to talk about whats really bothering
them. No matter how sophisticated a machine gets, it will never
really get how to give the kind of care people really need.
It could be that robotic caregivers end up becoming very useful
tools in a familys toolbox someone to help an aging parent out
B
efore we talk about robots, lets talk about the flying car.
From The Jetsons to Back to the Future and beyond, the
flying car has long been the quintessential American vision
of what the future would (and should) look like. Recently, the Pew
Research Center asked 1,000 U.S. residents what they thought
about various futuristic technologies, and the flying car topped the
list of inventions that we cant wait to see come to market.
But lets stop for just a second and think about this. On a daily
basis, how many old cars do you see broken down on the side of
the highway? Now think about what would have happened if one
of those cars broke down while flying over your house.
Which is not to say the flying car is a bad idea; after all, no
invention is inherently good or bad. Its all in how its used. And
that brings us to another futuristic technology one that Ameri-
cans felt least optimistic about on that Pew study mentioned earlier
robotic caregivers for the elderly.
A national conversation has been brewing on this subject for
some time now, spurred in part by the release of the 2012 feature
film Robot & Frank. In that movie, Frank Langella plays a retiree
(also named Frank) whose son is so overtaxed with busy work and
family schedules that he is unable to provide the help his aging
father needs. His answer: a robotic live-in caregiver to help Frank
live safely in his home.
There are a lot of busy working families for whom Robot & Frank
struck a chord. And when you add in the idea that the senior popu-
lation is set to double in size within the next 15 years thanks to
the aging Baby Boomers and then add in predictions of nursing
June 2014 Peoria Healthy Cells Magazine Page 25
of bed or to place a call if a grandparent suffers a fall in the home.
But if health care ever became entirely automated, it goes without
saying that something important would be lost. Its up to all of us
to remember that when it comes time to make decisions about
long-term care for our aging loved ones.
For 50 years, Lutheran Hillside Village has been the premier
resource for older adults and their families in the Peoria area. To
learn more about all the ways we help older adults live life to the
fullest, call Ellyn at 309-692-4600 or visit LutheranHillsideVillage.org.
Photo credit: Kirillm/Thinkstock
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Roomba self-guided vacuums
have been tidying up our houses
for years... but is it inevitable that
robots will find their way into
the medical industry?
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