1. Can Robots Act as Caregivers to Dementia Patients?

2. By Hypatia GutierrezPrepared for HUMU-250:Digital Humanities Instructor: Dr. Borrego 3. Dementia is not a specific disease. It affects thinking skills and causes severe memory loss.Although it most commonly affects ages over 65, it is not a normal part of aging. Alzheimers Disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all Dementia cases. 4. There are 5.2 million Alzheimers patients in the United States alone. The cost of caring for dementia patients was estimated at $203 billion in June 2013. The most common caregiver for dementia patients a family members. 5. In 2012, more that 15 million people acted as caregivers for Alzheimers patients. That is an estimated 17 billion hours of unpaid care Which translates to approximately $216 billion worth of care. 6. We could replace all the unpaid caregivers with robots? 7. Tokyo, Japan (2008) 8. Developed by the University of Tokyo It was designed to assist the elderly in Daily Tasks The eyes are actually wide-angle camera lenses It uses image recognition software to help locate lost items 9. Mamoru is capable of providing reminders and recognizes when a patient has already taken medication. 10. Kyoto, Japan (2009) 11. Developed by the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institude (ATR) To assist the elderly in grocery shopping Keeps track of grocery list Carries items in basket 12. The Netherlands (2012) 13. Created by Researchers of the Smart Home Foundation as part of the CompanionAble Project Designed to assist elderly people who suffer from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) It is compatible with other Smart Home features and is connected to a remote control center 14. The developed care robot acts as a coach and companion, and supports the user by means of suggestions, encouragements and reminders on a physical, cognitive and social level. Think about offering structure by eating and drinking suggestions and medicines reminders, proposing activities such as going for a walk, playing a game, or calling someone, and reminding about appointments and tasks. -Herjan van den Heuvel of Smart Homes 15. Robots can potentially care for Dementia patients by providing: Companionship Security Assistance with daily activities Medication Reminders Emergency Communication Assistance 16. The future technology of care-giving robots can solve the problem of family members having to provide care to their elderly relatives at such great sacrifice. 17. http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_ what_is_alzheimers.asp http://www.alz.org/what-is-dementia.asp http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/m edia-spotlight/201306/can-robots-helpcare-the-elderly 18. http://www.eggshellrobotics.com/blog/244-mamoru-robot-toprotect-and-search-for-the-elderly http://www.gizmag.com/robovie-iirobotic-shopping-assistant/13664/ http://www.popsci.com/technology/articl e/2009-12/robovie-ii-robot-helps-youshop http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhick s/2012/08/13/hector-robotic-assistancefor-the-elderly/