A New York Times article on Jan. 20 reported that a retirement community in Walnut Creek, California, has implemented small robots to assist its residents to improve quality of life.
The couple featured in the article are 86-year-old retired real estate broker Maxine Duncan and Herbert Yarbrough, 89.
Like any other trial run of a new products, the OhmniLabs robot has its ups and downs, but for the most part it has been successful among the elderly. Duncan and Yarbrough’s robot, Jimmy is essentially an iPad on a rolling stick. He keeps them more independent and up-to-date with the rest of the world.
This is a huge milestone for those considering nursing or retirement homes. Before, nursing homes were where people went to slowly die alone; however, with this technology, it can be a place to live and thrive while getting the care you need.
Many elderly people get stuck in homes and forgotten about, leaving contact with the outside world minimal, especially in the growing field of technology.
Take any grandparent you know. They are always asking for tips on how to navigate “The Facebook” and iPhones. They like to be included in the ever-changing world we live in, and many are eager to learn about it.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey said in 2014, there were 1.4 million nursing home residents and 15,600 nursing homes in the United States. That is a lot of people to forget about when developing and distributing technology.
The OhmniLabs robot has limited computer knowledge. It connects to Wi-Fi and is operated by remote, but it was developed with the techno-averse in mind. Currently, it can be used to FaceTime and has voice recognition features like Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri.
Ohmni labs said the next goal is to have the robot help around the house, hopefully completing this update within the next five years.
“The yearly cost of the robot is only about 20 percent of the cost of hiring full-time caregivers, according to Lily Sarafan, chief executive of Home Care Assistance,” said the New York Times. Home Care Assistance will begin offering the robots to those living alone at an elderly age and in retirement communities this year.
These developments are happening from coast to coast of the U.S. When thinking about these advancements, I think of my parents and where they will be in years to come. Once they age out of living alone, with improvements like these, I’m not fearful for their mental and social well being by putting them in a home.
Many other advancements are being tested by nursing homes like Brookdale Senior Living in Quincy, Massachusetts. Abdus Shakur, a 67-year-old Brookdale resident with a bad heart that doesn’t allow him to travel took a “trip” by wearing a virtual reality headset to a Creole restaurant in Berlin where he once worked.
The elderly who are testing these advancements are giving honest feedback about what works for them and what makes them feel more independent. For instance, a body dryer for when you’re done bathing did not receive rave reviews, so it was cut. They are taking control of their own future by being active participants in new technology and studies.
These robots and crazy virtual reality headsets sound futuristic, but we are closer than we think to this kind of lifestyle. It is only fitting to include those who are sometimes forgotten. The bottom line is, their lives are going to be easier, less lonely and they are going to feel more alive.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Temple, Georgia.
