UIC team keeping elderly independent
Zaira Estrada
Issue date: 9/14/09 Section: Pulse
At the moment, the research is mainly focused on the interface, or the software, that is to be used with the robot. This research includes observing the interactions between the elderly and caregivers in different kinds of situations, from the language a patient uses to the movements the involved in certain actions. Along with that, they will use Ben-Arie's RISq, short for Recognition by Indexing and Sequencing, methodology. This program would allow the robot to learn to understand altered speech.
The transition from living with the family and going to an institutional setting can be stressful, Žefran elaborates. There are worries of having to leave a family member in the care of strangers, while still wanting to care for them. The relatives might now know how to meet their needs, or might be too busy to really give the care their elders require. With the creation of such robot, and with the growing elderly population, may enable our society to better control and even reduce how many elderly people will have to enter nursing homes or institutionalized care. If a robot was able to provide the same level of assistance as a nursing home at a person's residence, then possibly they will also have a better quality of life.
The transition from living with the family and going to an institutional setting can be stressful, Žefran elaborates. There are worries of having to leave a family member in the care of strangers, while still wanting to care for them. The relatives might now know how to meet their needs, or might be too busy to really give the care their elders require. With the creation of such robot, and with the growing elderly population, may enable our society to better control and even reduce how many elderly people will have to enter nursing homes or institutionalized care. If a robot was able to provide the same level of assistance as a nursing home at a person's residence, then possibly they will also have a better quality of life.
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