OF ROBOTS, PETS AND LONELINESS
A seasonally inspired perspective on what Being Human means for an ageing population.
This holiday season, The Pets of Creation have been taking over the agency’s social channels.
It’s a bit of light-hearted fun, giving a different perspective on the festivities.
Thinking about problems from many different angles, experiences and points of view is all about being open minds — which is at the heart of Creation’s purpose.
So in that spirit, here’s another perspective on Being Human — at Christmas.
At this time of year, what it means to be ‘social’ takes on added importance. It’s a time for family and friends to get together (with us pets at the centre of attention, of course!).
But for many, especially older folk, it shines a light on a growing social problem: loneliness.
According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics, over half of 75+ year olds live alone. Age UK found that two fifths older people in the UK (about 3.9 million) say the television is their main company.
As populations in many countries are greying, the instances of loneliness will only increase — becoming a major societal issue.
But it’s not just an emotional or mental wellbeing issue. Research shows that loneliness and social isolation are harmful to our health: lacking social connections is a comparable risk factor for early death as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is worse for us than well-known risk factors such as obesity and physical inactivity. Loneliness increases the likelihood of mortality by 26% (www.campaigntoendloneliness.org).
In tackling loneliness, pets can be part of the solution — they can provide much needed companionship and can help improve general wellbeing. But for those unable or unwilling to take on a furry friend, technology could provide an alternative: AI-powered robots for the elderly.
The global market for personal robots is predicted to be worth $34.1 billion by 2022, with a CAGR of 37.8%. Care or ‘social’ robots for the old or infirm will be one of the main drivers of demand. (Another key factor is affordability — the average price of personal robots has declined by around 27% between 2005 and 2014. Their price is likely to further decline by around 22% between 2015 and 2025).
But is this hype? Are we really ready?
Analyst firm Gartner Research says there is some “resistance” to the use of humanoid robots in elderly care. According to Kanae Maita, principal analyst in personal technologies innovation, people are not [yet] comfortable with the idea of their parents being cared for by robots, despite evidence it offers value for money.
The likelihood is that it will be some years before we see mainstream adoption of humanoid robots. And whilst the technology matures apace, and acceptance grows, the near term future may well be robo-pets.
Take Paro, for example. Developed in Japan, it’s a therapeutic ‘baby seal’ which has been shown to reduce the sense of loneliness in senior adults and help alleviate the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.
Launched in 2003, Paro is already on its 8th generation design. The seals respond to touch and are designed to make eye contact.
Clinical trials with dementia patients conducted by Dr Sandra Petersen at the University of Texas at Tyler found Paro improved symptoms such as depression, anxiety and stress — and reduced the need for symptom-related medication by a third. In some cases, the results were even more remarkable. Dr Petersen says: “Some patients that were non-verbal began speaking again — first to the seal, then to others about the seal.”
Researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand have found that having a robot companion — such as Paro — can offer similar benefits to the elderly to that of a living animal.
So next year, the follow up to this article may well be written by our robot dopplegangers…
This final Being Human post for 2017 is brought to you on behalf of The Pets of Creation as part of their festive takeover of Creation’s social channels. If you’re not doing so already, follow us at Twitter and Facebook. And if as a result of what you’ve read you feel inspired this holiday season to help animals less fortunate than the pampered Pets of Creation, please do check out these groups near you.
Our Being Human series returns in the New Year — look out for more then.
