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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Alzheimer's / November 2005Mobile Robots for Alzheimers care?
Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called a CareBot, has verbal interaction built in and can answer the same questions over and over again. The website (http://www.geckosystems.com) says that the CareBot can act as a "surrogate short-term memory" with verbal reminders along with answering questions. It also has remote viewing capabilities from the internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? Okay, now my MIL could be telling the truth in her reality and mine when she says something keeps following her. :-) I don't think I could come up with a better way to really panic most ALZ people I know (my MIL and the people in her care facility). As their memory unravels, there would be no references for them to relate to a robot that follows them unless they remember Orson Wells and his War of the Worlds broadcast. OTOH, I'll bet the insurance companies would think it's a great idea. Karen > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? Karen, I agree most ALZ folks would really be spooked by a robot. But I beg to differ with you on the insurance companies. Unless LTC coverage is involved, they would not be interested unless it served some sort of medical purpose. A good part of insurance efforts are directed in delineating medical vs. custodial care. This is more likely to appeal to families--sort of like transport wheelchairs or elevating recliners that families often decide are needed, but the medical establishment almost never certified as a medical need. Beth, Physical Therapist. Actually, it was the LTC insurance companies I thought of but I suspect they wouldn't want the liability of requiring it instead of a better solution (and almost any other solution would be better for someone with Alzheimer's). Curiously enough, I can see it being advantageous with small children when they get to that age where you want to know when they're awake or when you _think_ they are playing quietly. Not so that they can be left alone but just to keep an eye on them in a large house and alert you if they are on the prowl and maybe (if Mom is netsurfing) generate a pop-up window of what's going on. But then kids are still discovering reality so there isn't a 60 year bank of experience to tell them it's an oddity. They'd probably name it and try to pet it like the family dog. They should nick name it K-9 after the one on Dr. Who. :-) Danger, young Robinson! Karen > Karen, I agree most ALZ folks would really be spooked by a robot. But > I beg to differ with you on the insurance companies. Unless LTC [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Beth, Physical Therapist. What insurance companies would that be? I've never seen one that is receptive to cutting edge technology in order to keep people out of hospitals and nursing homes. > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? Sounds more like science fiction than anything else. I sure don't see my mother adjusting to such a thing. Talk about big brother. The ability for someone to abuse this technology is a little frightening to me! And no, I'm not a techo phobe just worried about privacy issues......June It looks like the company's focus is safety and security. I think they would have to have some way to prevent people abusing the tech. All the banks and credit card companies have security systems for their web-based services. > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? When my mother in law imagined she had a baby and that people were keeping it from her, she couldn't be fooled by a doll. She couldn't relate to any mechanical things anymore, not even turning the TV on and off or adjusting the volume or changing the channel. Nothing will ever be able to replace a real thinking human being in the realm of caregiving.  SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') I wonder if the robot's verbal interaction system could be programmed to turn on the TV or whatever. That would completely take the mechanical part out of the loop. It doesn't seem like they want to replace human beings, just make it life a whole lot easier and less stressful for caregivers and families. I think if my mom or I could check on my grandmother from our desk at work, it would take a lot of worry off our shoulders. >I wonder if the robot's verbal interaction system could be programmed > to turn on the TV or whatever. That would completely take the > mechanical part out of the loop. > > It doesn't seem like they want to replace human beings, just make it > life a whole lot easier and less stressful for caregivers and families. start; "Whats that thing, what did it say?" "Explanation" (1 minute later) "Whats that thing, what did it say?" "Explanation" (1 minute later) "Whats that thing, what did it say?" "Explanation" Back to start. yeh thats really going to cut down on caregiver stress :-) > I think if my mom or I could check on my grandmother from our desk at > work, it would take a lot of worry off our shoulders. web cam(s)...though ISTM that if she *needs* that level of checking up, she shouldn't be by herself. It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light it, leave the house and not come back, invite strangers into the house, put a BM in the fridge, leave a pan of soup to boil to nothing and the handle catch fire*, etc etc etc etc, might not actually be very conducive to a worry-free day at work!! SignatureTumbleweed * all behaviours reported here at some time email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com Now that is an entertaining answer ;) SignatureLesanne > >>I wonder if the robot's verbal interaction system could be programmed [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > catch fire*, etc etc etc etc, might not actually be very conducive to a > worry-free day at work!! >It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light it, >leave the house and not come back, invite strangers into the house, put a >BM in the fridge, leave a pan of soup to boil to nothing and the handle >catch fire*, etc etc etc etc, might not actually be very conducive to a >worry-free day at work!! Please don't forget to mention my -- now quite long ago -- putting a plastic electric kettle on the stove's gas ring. Let me assure you, the smoke is not so nice! Happy to say we seen to have that problem sorted now :-) -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. >>It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light it, >>leave the house and not come back, invite strangers into the house, put a [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > -- > 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. Oh, pew - burned plastic is nasty! Every time I cook, I have to remember to remove the knobs from the stove. I don't bother turning the burners anymore so they mostly stay hooked up. Just can't keep the knobs on because I never know when she might decide to go put a pot on... It really saddens me she can't cook anymore. There were some of her dishes she'd make I wish I knew how to do, even though it wouldn't come out the same. And now, those goodies are gone forever:( Glad you got it sorted out. Amazing all the little ways you have to change so many things in the house. >>>It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light >>>it, [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > Glad you got it sorted out. Amazing all the little ways you have to change > so many things in the house. Octavia, I only just found some of my mother in laws favorite recipe goodies online. She taught me how to make a few dishes, but there was one I really liked, and I got it on a Russian cooking website, of all things. Her Estonian Pirukas. They were little meat filled dumplings, baked in a yeast dough Sort of like Pirogies, but these were baked in a yeast dough. Delicious. Keep looking, and maybe you will find the recipes! SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') >It doesn't seem like they want to replace human beings, just make it >life a whole lot easier and less stressful for caregivers and families. > I think if my mom or I could check on my grandmother from our desk at >work, it would take a lot of worry off our shoulders. That is very good comment. My wife recently bought a new high tech TV which I am __slowly__ getting used to. It has 2 remotes, one for the TV and one for the router and endless buttons. Definitely not suitable for somebody with A.D.! -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. The tec stuff is really hard to keep up with. There should be an ERACE button on the human brain (no, not ALZ as a substitude) I fell this past week so could not sleep from pain,, Last night an informercial about Vonnage beat out the news....fascinating---..Seems if you have broadband or cable you could could have local & long distance calling thru your TV & it would be connected to your landline & cellphone. a router is part of the deal.free excep p & h. somehow the computer is involved I am so far behind the times...Is this so???? Florence I know people that have their phones set up this way. In fact, there was a flap in the news not long ago because people set their phones up this way for the break on long distance calls but don't always check to see if the new provider subscribes to 911 services. Apparently broadband and cable services don't have to subscribe to 911 services like a land line phone service. It's been an issue when someone kicks in their door or a member of the family has a health crisis and they can't dial 911. Of course, no one keeps the phone number of the police/ambulance/fire department on their fridge anymore. That's _so_ old school. :-) Karen > The tec stuff is really hard to keep up with. There should be an ERACE > button on the human brain (no, not ALZ as a substitude) [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I am so far behind the times...Is this so???? > Florence >I know people that have their phones set up this way. In fact, there was a > flap in the news not long ago because people set their phones up this way [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Karen 911 made it all so much simpler :-) But I still do keep the actual phone number of our local town police nearby. Came in handy when a strange dog materialized on my lawn. No need to bother 911 about that. Turned out it was the new pet of a neighbor who had an aversion to using a leash. Still does. SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') Evelyn, I do too. When I call 911 the first question they ask is "Is this an emergency?" I don't consider it an emergency if one of the neighbors insists on rattling my windows with his music at midnight, but I still want the cops to be the ones to handle it. It only becomes an emergency around 2 AM when I'm desperate enough to go over there and handle the situation myself. :-) Seriously, IMO everyone should have the direct numbers to the various police, fire, etc. because when the 911 call center goes down (and any computerized call center can go down) it's good to have a backup plan. But then I tend to be a belt and suspenders type. Karen > 911 made it all so much simpler :-) > > But I still do keep the actual phone number of our local town police nearby. > Came in handy when a strange dog materialized on my lawn. No need to > bother 911 about that. Turned out it was the new pet of a neighbor who had > an aversion to using a leash. Still does. >I wonder if the robot's verbal interaction system could be programmed >to turn on the TV or whatever. That would completely take the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I think if my mom or I could check on my grandmother from our desk at >work, it would take a lot of worry off our shoulders. I seem to recall, from the distant past --some 5 to ten years ago, maybe even longer-- using voice input. At the time, I was suffering from sore hands from overuse of the keyboard and insufficient breaks. The medium at the time, might have been earlier than usenet/web. I'd be really pleased if somebody could identify what protocol I'm referring to. ...or maybe I'm imagingin it all -- Yes Gwen, I might be older than you!! -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. Re: Mobile Robots for Alzheimers care? Group: alt.support.alzheimers Date: Tue, Nov 8, 2005, 9:42am (CST-2) From: alta_56@yahoo.com (alta_56) I wonder if the robot's verbal interaction system could be programmed to turn on the TV or whatever. That would completely take the mechanical part out of the loop. It doesn't seem like they want to replace human beings, just make it life a whole lot easier and less stressful for caregivers and families. I think if my mom or I could check on my grandmother from our desk at work, it would take a lot of worry off our shoulders. Ronny: Well now,that is one good point;but don't they have fixed devises now where you could do that by closed circuit TV? I think most responders to this thread are right on the money, the person who came up with this idea has absolutely no idea what the care of a person with any degree of dementia is really like. And I know that none of the situations described are funny. Yet I have been sitting here giggling, first at the complete idiocy of the original concept, and then at the "to the point" responses posted by several of you. Still learning a great deal and benefiting a great deal from lurking. Off tomorrow to Iowa & Minnesota to spend the weekend with my Dad and other family members. (My dad has been diagnosed with vascular dementia and can be pretty flaky much of the time) I told my sister I would help him plow through what, if anything, he needs to do re Medicare RX plan. Called his insurance carrier today (without a release to discuss his plan with them) and I knew they could give me no specifics. I didn't ask them for specifics. But I nearly had to crawl through the phone and slap the lady upside the head to get her to answer my questions about their policies in general. Sadly will also be attending the memorial service for a little boy born to my niece a week ago Sunday who did not survive. Thanks to all of you for ASA. You have all been a huge help to me, and I am not even the caregiver on the scene! SignatureA R Pickett aka Woodstock "Sometimes the facts threaten the truth" Amos Oz, prize winning Israeli author Read my book reviews at: http://www.booksnbytes.com/reviews/_idx_ws_all_byauth.html Remove lower case "e" to respond >I think most responders to this thread are right on the money, the person > who came up with this idea has absolutely no idea what the care of a [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > am > not even the caregiver on the scene! So sad about your niece's child. Hope you have a good and productive visit with your family! SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') Re: Mobile Robots for Alzheimers care? Group: alt.support.alzheimers Date: Tue, Nov 8, 2005, 10:41pm (CST+6) From: WOODeSTOCK_AP@PReODIGeY.NET (A R Pickett) (snip) Sadly will also be attending the memorial service for a little boy born to my niece a week ago Sunday who did not survive. (snip) Ronny: Sorry to hear of that happening! :-( > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? It sounds too dumb to be true! If it was invented for Az patients, it was done so by someone with no experience of dealing with the condition. It'll either frighten the beejesus out of them *every few minutes*, or cause them to go looking for someone to explain what the funny thing following them around is....every minute or so, or they will take a mallet to it as soon as it speaks or moves, or they will ignore it :-) A week or so ago I inadvertently left a GPS unit switched on in my home, and forgot it was there. 10 minutes later, there I was typing away in the house, all alone, no radio or anything else on, so it was very quiet, and all of a sudden a voice said loudly 'turn left when possible'; I nearly had a heart attack!! :-) Now imagine that happening to you all the time, if you dont know what a robot is or have any concept of one, where the voice is coming from, and why a strange metal thing is following you. I imagine the devices will need to be quite sturdy :-) SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com >It sounds too dumb to be true! If it was invented for Az patients, it was >done so by someone with no experience of dealing with the condition. It'll >either frighten the beejesus out of them *every few minutes*, or cause them >to go looking for someone to explain what the funny thing following them >around is....every minute or so, or they will take a mallet to it as soon as >it speaks or moves, or they will ignore it :-) To be fair, any such device is more likely to sophisticated to have some utility. For example, we would expect a reasonable quality of read speech as well as quality verbal interpretation including common accents. That is, probably no worse than the average citizen (O.K., I am being more optimistic than usual but I expect we'll get there soon. Pure speculation, but we might even, by then, be able to generate the actual speech patterns of, for example, a departed loved one. Speculation, to be sure, but the reality is that some such communication improvements might very well be just around the corner. I just hope that my split fingernail gets better by then :-) >A week or so ago I inadvertently left a GPS unit switched on in my home, and >forgot it was there. 10 minutes later, there I was typing away in the house, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >a strange metal thing is following you. I imagine the devices will need to >be quite sturdy :-) -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. >>It sounds too dumb to be true! If it was invented for Az patients, it was >>done so by someone with no experience of dealing with the condition. It'll [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > optimistic > than usual but I expect we'll get there soon. Thats equivalent to saying, if the device was really good, it would be really good. Sure,when there is a human-equivalent one, that didnt get worn down by repetition, that understood what you wanted, could deal with dangerous situations, calm down agitated patients, that would be good. This device isnt it and isn't even close to be 1% of 1% of 1% of what would be needed, which is ... a person. We already have those. We are a *long* way from meaning recognition except for very basic speech recognition stuff, and nowhere near able to interpret random utterances of AZ patients and decide what to do. A few weeks back one of the residents at my dads home (never seen her before) wanted me to hurry up so she could make the dinner for me and her kids befre she went to the office. Hows a machine going to deal with that? > Pure speculation, but we might > even, by then, be able to generate the actual speech patterns of, for > example, a > departed loved one. thats *really* going to confuse the heck out of someone with Az!! "My husbands been killed and replaced by a metal contraption" AAAAARRRGGGH! SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com Re: Mobile Robots for Alzheimers care? > Group: alt.support.alzheimers Date: Tue, Nov 8, 2005, 5:28pm (CST+6) From: thisaccountneverread@yahoo.com (Tumbleweed) "alta_56" wrote in message news:1131441108.366659.271880@g49g2000cw a.googlegroups.com... snip: Tumbleweed: It sounds too dumb to be true! If it was invented for Az patients, it was done so by someone with no experience of dealing with the condition. It'll either frighten the beejesus out of them *every few minutes*, or cause them to go looking for someone to explain what the funny thing following them around is....every minute or so, or they will take a mallet to it as soon as it speaks or moves, or they will ignore it :-) A week or so ago I inadvertently left a GPS unit switched on in my home, and forgot it was there. 10 minutes later, there I was typing away in the house, all alone, no radio or anything else on, so it was very quiet, and all of a sudden a voice said loudly 'turn left when possible'; I nearly had a heart attack!! :-) Now imagine that happening to you all the time, if you dont know what a robot is or have any concept of one, where the voice is coming from, and why a strange metal thing is following you. I imagine the devices will need to be quite sturdy:-) Tumbleweed Ronny: No doubt my Mom would tell that little robot in no uncertain terms that he wasn't her boss! :-) And if he didn't listen,she might just whop him a few times with her 4 point metal cane! LoL All I can say is it would have freaked out my mother in law entirely. A person with memory problems is unlikely to remember what the heck the thing is so you might get a fresh freak out daily. I also doubt that verbal reminders are going to be hugely effective coming from a machine (i.e. would YOU trust someone with AD to take their medication alone, just prompted by a machine? I did that once with my MIL in mid AD by calling her several times a day to take her pills at specific times, and the results were disasterous (she mixed up pills, took more than she should etc. etc.) My MIL got extremely upset about her television - thought people could see and hear her via the set, put clothes over it to protect her modesty, got upset about it causing a fire when she wasn't sure she had turned it off (and her answer to this was to unscrew every light bulb in her apartment). I can just see what she'd do with this horrible thing following her around talking to her and her not being able to turn it off. Screaming flip out. Mary >My MIL got extremely upset about her television - thought people could >see and hear her via the set, put clothes over it to protect her [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >thing following her around talking to her and her not being able to >turn it off. Screaming flip out. A favourite expression of mine used to be "Expect the impossilbe!" Seems like that's the best we can do. -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. >>My MIL got extremely upset about her television - thought people could >>see and hear her via the set, put clothes over it to protect her [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > like > that's the best we can do. Maybe that is a diagnostic for Az then as my dad was always saying that. May a yellow spotted dolphin fall out of the sky onto your head. SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com LOL - oh, yeah, right. My MIL would freak out in 12 different directions. I can just hear her telling it "Go to Hell" & "sh.t on you":) > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? I am sorry I am about to die laughing. I needed that about now. Momma is over there in her chair saying "what's so funny?" And yeah, I know it is not Supposed to be funny, but I can see Momma using the thing to try to batter her way out the front door. She has taken to shoving furniture all over the place. She has recently lost interest in all the activities we set up for her. SignatureLesanne > LOL - oh, yeah, right. My MIL would freak out in 12 different directions. > I can just hear her telling it "Go to Hell" & "sh.t on you":) [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has >> anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? :))) Oh my, I feel for you. Can't be any fun having to put the furniture back... The chairs at the dinette table has wheels. I suppose if my MIL started in on the furniture, those things would be all over the house. >I am sorry I am about to die laughing. I needed that about now. Momma is >over there in her chair saying "what's so funny?" And yeah, I know it is [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >>> internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has >>> anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? I don't mind. I am a nurse and we modified the entire house years ago, based upon things I read. We have nothing but tile floors, no furniture that I cannot bear to see damaged, etc. (well not specifically true the furniture I cherish is locked in my own bedrooms) SignatureLesanne > :))) > Oh my, I feel for you. Can't be any fun having to put the furniture [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >>>> internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has >>>> anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? >LOL - oh, yeah, right. My MIL would freak out in 12 different directions. I >can just hear her telling it "Go to Hell" & "sh.t on you":) At least she's only at the threatening stage....... :-p -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? I have to say that I agree in the strongest possible ways with the majority of the responses to this idea. It's so totally counter-intuitive it's unbelievable. Well-intentioned, I'd guess -- to take the charitable view -- but it surely cannot be a product of the imagination of anyone who has ever dealt with dementia on a personal level for any meaningful amount of time. Sorry, alta_56. It's a non-starter, as our dear left-pondians might say. Heck, *I'd* say it's a non-starter...*much* more potential for harm than good. Some far, far day, perhaps, there may come a satisfactory substitute for human interaction. It's not the least bit likely any of us will live to see it. (Thank heavens.) Deborah Man oh man! I printed out the webpage and put it in our employee's lounge at the A/L where I work. I added the message - Danger! Danger! Danger Caregivers! You can be Replaced! Anybody but me notice that the robots resemble something out of the Jetsons? Until it can give a shower, wipe a soiled bottom, hold a scared AD patient in their arms and wipe their tears away,figure out who is wearing the wrong glasses, or trying to put their dentures in upside down, why Mrs. A is wearing Mr. B's underpants, this thing will never replace the human contact that people with AD need and respond to. Really bad idea, but really cool looking robots! Patty > Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with > Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has > anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? > Really bad idea, but really cool looking robots! Yep:)) Maybe they can find another use for those guys:) What a great glimpse into what your life is like at an A/L faciltiy. Thanks:) > Man oh man! I printed out the webpage and put it in our employee's lounge > at the A/L where I work. I added the message - Danger! Danger! Danger [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >> internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has >> anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? >It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light it, >leave the house and not come back, invite strangers into the house, put a >BM in the fridge, leave a pan of soup to boil to nothing and the handle >catch fire*, etc etc etc etc, might not actually be very conducive to a >worry-free day at work!! I would hope if you saw any of this over the webcam you would be just a little bit proactive and call the person and tell them to 'turn off the gas' or 'take the soup off'. If calling them did not work then you could call a neighbor or another person nearby to assist. >Man oh man! I printed out the webpage and put it in our employee's lounge >at the A/L where I work. I added the message - Danger! Danger! Danger >Caregivers! You can be Replaced! I don't think everyone has a clear picture about what this robot is supposed to do. It is not for Assisted Living facilities although I can see applications for it there too. It is meant to be used in the home and is not meant to replace the caregiver. It is a tool to augment the level of care provided by our caregivers whether it is a son or daughter who lives 200 miles away or just across town or a professional hired by the elderly parent or their family. >Sure,when there is a human-equivalent one, that didnt get worn down by >repetition A robot would not get worn down by repetition - it will answer the same question with the pre-programmed answer as many times as the person could ask it. And seeing as most elderly people ask the same things over and over every day it would not be hard to program in the answers. >could deal with dangerous situations >From what I've read on the website this robot can call 911 or pre-programmed emergency numbers when the person does not respond to 'are you okay?' or when the person says 'call 911'. It can also detect fires and report break-ins and even film the intruder. I can just imagine a burgler's face if a robot's voice came out of the darkness saying "Intruder alert! The police have been called and I am now video taping your every move!". There is a story on their website at http://www.geckosystems.com/products/grandma_carebot.php that gives a pretty good description of what this CareBot is supposed to do. >We are a *long* way from meaning recognition except for very basic speech >recognition stuff, Actually I have seen some research done with face recognition that can determine a person's mood based on their facial expressions. I have also seen some research using speech recognition that could determine whether the person was stressed or not based on their speech patterns. > >It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light > >it, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > little bit proactive and call the person and tell them to 'turn off the > gas' or 'take the soup off'. You think they would know what a phone was? Or gas? Or soup? Or that they wouldnt spill boiling soup over themselves? If you feel you'd ever need to tell them that, you *really* shouldnt be leaving them alone in the first place. And if they need that level of watching, I cant imagine your employer is going to be too happy either! > If calling them did not work then you > could call a neighbor or another person nearby to assist. "Hiya neighbour, can I have your phone number please as I'll be phoning you 10-20 times a day from work with some little chores I'd like you to do for me in my house as I really would rather not be there myself". >>Man oh man! I printed out the webpage and put it in our employee's lounge >>at the A/L where I work. I added the message - Danger! Danger! Danger [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > son or daughter who lives 200 miles away or just across town > or a professional hired by the elderly parent or their family. Can you give an example? To take one thing you mentioned, (I think), I dont, for example, see the point of spending several thousand dollars so an AZ patient can be reminded to take their medicine by a mobile tape recorder. Aside from the point that it will be more difficult to program that in, than just to remind the Az patient yourself, >>>how would the robot know that the medicines have been taken and in the correct dose?? <<< You do know, dont you, that if you ask an Az patient to take their medicine, chances are they'll have forgotten in the time it takes to walk into the room where the tablets likely are? The reminder isnt the point, taking the right medicine at the right dose is the point. The carebot can do the former but not the latter, not even close, not even an inkling. Wasted your time & money on that one. >>Sure,when there is a human-equivalent one, that didnt get worn down by >>repetition [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > could ask it. And seeing as most elderly people ask the same things > over and over every day it would not be hard to program in the answers. Why would an Az patient who doesnt know what a robot is, ask it a question? And they cant learn what a robot is, for obvious reasons. >>could deal with dangerous situations > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > saying "Intruder alert! The police have been called and I am now video > taping your every move!". I can just imagine the policeman's face when they have turned up for the 20th time that day because the Az patient wasnt in a chatty mood! But good news, we have a really sharp picture of the stranger your mother invited in who then beat her up. At least,we think we do but unfortunately its in the robot that the stranger stole when they left. > There is a story on their website at > http://www.geckosystems.com/products/grandma_carebot.php that gives > a pretty good description of what this CareBot is supposed to do. You may have taken it that way, but its a 'story'. It even says so at the top of the page. >>We are a *long* way from meaning recognition except for very basic speech >>recognition stuff, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > also seen some research using speech recognition that could determine > whether the person was stressed or not based on their speech patterns. I've seen lots of research. And nothing that works in real life. Spend the money on a couple of hours of home help a day. I'm guessing you dont have any experience of dealing with a person with anything more than the mildest level of dementia? SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com I want one of those Carebot robots for me,not Mom! I need something to remind me of all the things I need to be doing. :-) And when I went into a room and forgot what I went to do,could the Carebot tell me please?! LoL >I want one of those Carebot robots for me,not Mom! I need something to > remind me of all the things I need to be doing. :-) And when I went into > a room and forgot what I went to do,could the Carebot tell me please?! > LoL it could as long as you *remembered* to program it to remind you to tell it to tell you ...ummm, damn it I lost my thread what was I talking about? I plan to patent two alternative devices used for memory recall, I name them the 'pencil and calendar' and the 'pencil and notebook' systems. Whilst I am waiting for the patents to come through, I wonder if you'd all be so good as to send me 1c every time you use either of these systems. And 2c if you use a pen (the DeLuxe systems). Think of the money you'd save compared to a carebot! SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com LOL, I could use one also! A talking reminder list of things to do like "tomorrow is garbage day, don't forget to gather the trash & put it out". I can see where a bot like this would be helpful for some people, but not for those with dementia. >I want one of those Carebot robots for me,not Mom! I need something to > remind me of all the things I need to be doing. :-) And when I went into > a room and forgot what I went to do,could the Carebot tell me please?! > LoL > >It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light it, > >leave the house and not come back, invite strangers into the house, put a [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > gas' or 'take the soup off'. If calling them did not work then you > could call a neighbor or another person nearby to assist. My MIL wouldn't bother to go check because "she would never do something like that" and if after some degree of pleading and coercion you were able to get her to head off to do it, by the time she passed multiple distactions in another room or two, she would have forgotten. But I'm banking she wouldn't tolerate it in the first place. Mechanical things seem to irritate ALZ people to a amazing level. > I don't think everyone has a clear picture about what this robot is > supposed to do. It is not for Assisted Living facilities although I [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > son or daughter who lives 200 miles away or just across town > or a professional hired by the elderly parent or their family. You miss the point. If a person is far enough along to need that level of observation, they aren't likely to be safe to leave with only that level of observation. If you are trying to get feedback on this device for your own purposes, you'd be yielding more productive input by volunteering for a few days at an ALZ facility (night shift would be a good place to start). If you are just running it up for comment, I'd say you've gotten it. :-) > A robot would not get worn down by repetition - it will answer the same > question with the pre-programmed answer as many times as the person > could ask it. And seeing as most elderly people ask the same things > over and over every day it would not be hard to program in the answers. > >From what I've read on the website this robot can call 911 or > pre-programmed emergency numbers when the person does not respond to [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > saying "Intruder alert! The police have been called and I am now video > taping your every move!". Do you realize that by the definition of some police departments, the person being monitored would be turned over to protective services for being left unattended? Monitored is not considered the same as attended by either children or adult protective services. > There is a story on their website at > http://www.geckosystems.com/products/grandma_carebot.php that gives [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > also seen some research using speech recognition that could determine > whether the person was stressed or not based on their speech patterns. This brings up another point. The facial expressions of ALZ people doesn't always make sense. My MIL can go into a violent rage over finding herself in the shower room preparing to take a shower. Give her 2 minutes and she forgets about it. Can the carebot handle the logical anomaly of expression = murderous fury but situation = no threat? Basically, how do you program a logical creature to handle chaotic non-logic? Karen > >It also occurs to me that watching her switch on the gas but not light > >it, [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > also seen some research using speech recognition that could determine > whether the person was stressed or not based on their speech patterns. Dear Alta, I think you mean very well and I surely don't want to rain on your parade, but I honestly think it isn't going to work with a person who really has dementia. But keep up the good work, because someone has to be the pioneer in these kinds of things. SignatureBest Regards, Evelyn (to reply to me personally, remove 'sox') >Could this mobile robot really help caregivers of people with >Alzheimers? It almost sounds too good to be true. This robot, called [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >internet. It self-navigates and follows a person automatically. Has >anyone heard anything about this CareBot? What do you think about it? Look it from the perspective of somebody talking about horseless carriages.... -- 2 + 2 = 5 for sufficiently large values of 2. |
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