New York introduces 800 robots for lonely elderly living alone
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NYSOFA Brings ElliQ Proactive Care Companion Technology to Older Adults, Reducing Social Isolation, Supporting Independence, Connection and Engagement | Office for the Aging
https://aging.ny.gov/news/nysofa-brings-elliq-proactive-care-companion-technology-older-adults-reducing-social-isolation
New York State Purchases Robot Companions for the Elderly | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-york-state-purchases-robot-companions-for-the-elderly-180980181/
The robot 'ElliQ' developed for elderly people aged 65 and over living alone is a desktop robot similar to voice assistants such as Alexa and Siri. ElliQ helps users with simple conversations, answers questions, encourages users to take medications, contacts friends and family, shakes conversations with users, and other day-to-day activities. It can be done. According to Intuition Robotics, ElliQ users take an average of 20 or more actions a day with ElliQ.
ElliQ looks like this.
Regarding the introduction of ElliQ, Greg Olsen, director of the Aging Department, said, 'The versatility of ElliQ has attracted us. ElliQ is a proactive tool that records personal interactions, health and wellness. Focuses on improving stress relief, sleep, hydration, etc. '' The important thing is to focus on memory, life, interaction with friends and family, and promote health and well-being
In a statement announcing the introduction of ElliQ , the Aging Department declared, 'In 2017, the U.S. Medical Director declared social isolation'epidemic '. Subsequent pandemics of the new coronavirus made social isolation worse. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute , social isolation is generating $ 6.7 billion annually. The health effects of loneliness and isolation are one pack of cigarettes daily. It's the equivalent of smoking. ElliQ complements traditional face-to-face support by providing another form of communication when older people are at high risk of loneliness and social isolation. ' I wrote it.
Loneliness not only causes depression, but also reduces sleep quality, accelerates cognitive decline, reduces cardiovascular function, and leads to weakened immunity at every stage of life. It is known to cause adverse health effects . According to the American Psychological Association, loneliness has the same adverse health effects as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and suffering from alcohol disorders.
The AARP Public Policy Institute calculates annual social isolation spending of $ 6.7 billion, which is often the cost of using animals to care for loneliness, such as dogs. that's right. In the case of animal care, 'there is the problem of needing care for the animals themselves,' writes Smithsonian Magazine, a magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution. A research paper published in 2018 shows that robots can reduce the stress of loneliness.
'When we started creating ElliQ, we had one goal in mind, which allows older people to live healthy, happy and independent at home,' said Door Scholar, CEO of Intuition Robotics. 'At times when older people are at high risk of loneliness and social isolation, ElliQ provides another form of communication that complements traditional face-to-face support.' increase.
'The goal is to measure the effectiveness of ElliQ. We will see how ElliQ works.' 'The Aging Department is already under stress or living alone. We know that there are many older people who do not have family or friends nearby. Many of these people have access to technology, so what impact does ElliQ have on their health? I would like to confirm whether it will be affected. '
It's not without controversy about robots to care for the elderly fighting loneliness. A paper published in 2020 accuses older people of the risk of ignoring existing relationships and prioritizing relationships with robots by introducing care robots.
'ElliQ is designed to complement human social interactions and is not a replacement for humans,' Olsen said.
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in Hardware, Posted by logu_ii