ROBOT CAREGIVER FOR OLD PEOPLE

TIME FOR THE GEEZER’S SHOT!

Urgent Care

I have been reading a lot about robots and old people lately. We have a surplus of old people and a shortage of caregivers.  Is a robot caregiver the answer? At 75 future care is a constant thought; for me and for my friends. I thought about a robot in my future  over coffee on Tuesday morning. Like most of my thoughts, these are irreverent.

1. A robot changing my diapers. Picture me, lying on a bed, naked from the waist down, with a robot, wiping me and putting on a new diaper. How would a robot hold me in place? It’s bad enough changing a baby, imagine a robot changing me! And, don’t forget the security camera that the robot is required to wear is going all the time.
2. Could the robot identify strangers who came into my home? Then what?
3. Could a robot prevent falls?
4. A robot could probably take my vital signs; a smart phone can do that now with a little help.
5. Can a robot cook? Thaw and heat a meals-on-wheels selection? Probably.
6. Clean? I hope so.
7. How will a robot react with other people around?
8. Will a robot like my dog? Will my dog like the robot?
9. How much would it cost to make my home robot friendly? Could I find a place where the robot couldn’t find me? If so, it would probably dial 911.
10. Could I short-circuit a robot? Probably it would dial 911 if I did.
11. What are the ongoing maintenance and repair costs of a robot?
12. What are the costs of monitoring the robot and maintaining a call center to deal with calls from the robot?
13. Would a robot scare me? Think of Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey – before the time of most current robot designers.
14. Could a robot bathe/shower me without drowning me or short-circuiting the robot?
15. Heavy lifting would be plus. A robot could save a lot in workman’s comp. claims or the necessity of hiring two caregivers for someone of my weight.
16. Theft. Identify a stranger? If the robot was stolen, we could probably locate it using our i-phone.
17. Could the robot take the place of my geriatric psychologist; listen to me, counsel me?
18. Could the robot provide comfort to me when I slip into Alzheimer’s? Or would I have to have two robots?
19. Paying bills? Is my robot trustworthy?
20. The robot could probably sign in to Skype and give my kids several views of what I was doing at any given time. It could also provide a security video that was not erased for thirty days and which my kids and my doctor could access along with a running record of my vital signs, urinalysis results, weight, diaper changing, etc.
21. The  robot would be perfect for the new driverless cars.
22. The robot could dial UBER.
23. The robot could get together with SIRI and order anything I needed.
24. The robot could exercise me; whether I wanted it or not. Picture a robot designed to exercise me; and, me, not wanting to exercise.
25. The robot could be programmed for Robot Assisted Suicide; however, this might violate the First Law of Robotics.
26. The robot might have a copy of my advance directive and not consult with me.
27. The robot could file my taxes.
28. If I have Alzheimer’s; can the robot deal with that? The robot is very logical; I would just be street-smart.
29. How would the robot deal with my girl friend? Could I program it to stay out of the bedroom?
30. If I needed surgery, could the robot do it?

The above are just the thoughts of an old man who might be a perfect candidate for a robot caregiver. Most people don’t realize that they are old until suddenly they reach the “tipping point” at which time, they are there.

At least, I have a number of ideas for future blogs. So, stay tuned.

Maybe I should just go with a therapeutic robot from Parorobots.com to pet:

A comfort robot instead of a comfort dog for the elderly in Japan??

THINK OLD!