Is Robotic Elder Care near Los Angeles Around the Corner?
Elder Care near Los Angeles Looks to the Future
Watch nearly any movie set fifty years or so in the future, and you are sure to see robots. Many people anticipate that machines will play an important part in our lives before too long, taking over tasks that are difficult or unpleasant for humans. In Japan (apparently the world’s capital of robotic technology), conferences and expos regularly unveil new robotic devices that promise to revolutionize senior care. From full-size human-like robots that assist seniors to specialized “muscle suits” that make it easier for human caregivers to lift their clients, it’s easy to imagine elder care near Los Angeles becoming more…mechanical.
Big Ideas
It doesn’t take long to come up with a long list of advantages that robots could provide the elderly. They never have to sleep; they don’t forget prescription schedules; they can be stronger than humans; and they can perform tasks over and over without getting tired or frustrated. If we are to believe the highest-flying ideas, robots will even provide some level of companionship and interaction for seniors. Are robots the answer to the need for reliable senior care for busy families?
Big Problems
Obviously, there are some big problems with the idea of mechanized senior care, and some experts think that those problems are big enough to prevent “care robots” from becoming affordable, safe, and common. One objection is our natural hesitation to entrust our well-being to a machine—no matter how lifelike it seems. As we are reminded by our computers and phones on a regular basis, technology sometimes breaks down, and a robot that fails to perform its job would actually put a senior in more danger than before.
(Human) Eldercare in Los Angeles
The biggest drawback to robotic care is probably the absence of human interaction. Humans crave human contact, and no machine will ever match the ability of the human brain to multitask, solve problems, and provide the emotional content that we all need in our lives. We don’t like the idea of replacing human eldercare in Los Angeles with robots that can’t smile, laugh, or love—and maybe we shouldn’t.