Cyborgs Or Therapists?
Artur Olesch
Digital Health Journalist, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of aboutDigitalHealth.com, Founder of Health Algorithmics, Content Designer/Writer, Keynote Speaker, Moderator, Author
Social robots keep the elderly company, cheer the patients up. Available 24/7, made to care and love machines enter healthcare. Are we ready?
“It” talks, smiles and hugs
“It discomforted me a little bit that he was conversing with something that wasn’t real. But it gave him pleasure and relaxed him, and I figured it’s working, so why not. I like the cat now,” says Sue Pinetti, daughter of Roger Jalber, a resident of the Benchmark Senior Living at Plymouth Crossings. Robotic pets are used there to help people with dementia. Technology-packed mechanical cats, dogs and teddy bears respond to touch and express emotions. They improve the mood of elderly residents and stimulate cognitive functions. The patients don’t recognise that the pets are not real. It doesn’t really matter. Seeing how much joy robots bring to the lives of Alzheimer’s patients, no one asks ethical questions.