I came across this article today and it got me thinking about the use of technology in general and robots in particular for improving quality of life for dementia and MCI patients.
On the one hand the problem is real. Given the realities of life, children can’t be full time caregivers and connected health devices have a real place. On the other hand the thought of replacing human interaction and companionship with a robot is alarming. We seem to be reducing loneliness down to a chemical reaction. I can see a day soon where we will be prescribing a drug to counter the loneliness brain function. Problem solved!? Do robots have their place? Sure, personally I think replacing the human floor washer with an iRobot is a great use. Replacing a child or caregiver – not so much. At RecallCue we are looking to create devices that facilitate human interaction with the elderly – not replace it.