At some point, most people ask themselves a very crucial question: “How long can/would I like to live at home in my old age? And who will take care of me?”
For many older people living at home, there comes a time when it is no longer possible and the question of care becomes acute. Retirement and nursing homes – as was shown In the Corona Crisis – not only provide service, but can also be health risks. Another solution could be an outpatient care service. Or a caregiver who is hired and, if spatially possible, lives in the same house. However, hiring a caregiver is a challenge – not to mention the global shortage of caregivers.
Robots could soon fill a gap, at least transitionally, and ensure that older people with and without disabilities can stay in their own homes longer. With or without a connection to a home care service, robots increase the flexibility of care at home, they strengthen the autonomy of elderly people and at the same time still help to reduce costs.
The concept of robots at home is not new: Lawn mowing and vacuuming robots have long since found their way into the home and provide household support, and not just for the elderly. The automatic voice recognition system “Alexa” is now available as a version for seniors, which can be used to play music, turn lights on and off, or operate shutters with particular ease.
If you imagine a care robot, you probably first think of a humanoid robot that helps with a typical robot voice. One might be reluctant to have such a foreign body in one’s own household – but this idea of a robot has little to do with the actual solutions.
Currently, a fundamental distinction is made between assistance robots and care robots. Assistance robots can help people with simple tasks, such as preparing meals or transporting objects Equipped with sensors, they act as an “artificial nose” to help detect incontinence or bladder infections. Cameras detect unsteady gait, register falls and alert the nursing service if necessary. Microphones hear a falling plate or detect unusual noises such as taps that have been running for too long or even whining or screaming.
Care robots, on the other hand, are designed to care for people who require more care – people who spend more time in bed or in a chair. Assistance may include transport to the bathroom, assisting with showering or weighing, or other activities. Measuring blood pressure, pulse, temperature or oxygen saturation can also be automated. However, it is very likely that nursing robots will continue to be backed by caregivers who intervene when necessary, evaluate the data or take over maintenance – an approach that will be partly, but not exclusively, via artificial intelligence.
Presumably, it is only a matter of time before robots make their way into home care. Robots can improve people’s quality of life; with their help, people in need of care can live at home longer. Of course, humans are social beings and human contact and care can never be replaced by a robot… but one does not exclude the other!