Japan Wants To Increase Acceptance of Technology That Could Help Fill the Gap in the Nursing Workforce (theguardian.com)

With Japan's ageing society facing a predicted shortfall of 370,000 caregivers by 2025, the government wants to increase community acceptance of technology that could help fill the gap in the nursing workforce. From a report: Developers have focused their efforts on producing simple robotic devices that help frail residents get out of their bed and into a wheelchair, or that can ease senior citizens into bathtubs. But the government sees a wider range of potential applications and recently revised its list of priorities to include robots that can predict when patients might need to use the toilet. Dr Hirohisa Hirukawa, director of robot innovation research at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, said the aims included easing the burden on nursing staff and boosting the autonomy of people still living at home. "Robotics cannot solve all of these issues; however, robotics will be able to make a contribution to some of these difficulties," he said. Hirukawa said lifting robotics had so far been deployed in only about 8% of nursing homes in Japan, partly because of the cost and partly because of the "the mindset by the people on the frontline of caregiving that after all it must be human beings who provide this kind of care."

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He's (sort of) wrong

[Baron_Yam]

Robotics cannot solve all of these issues

CURRENT robotics can't solve all these problems. We simply don't have the general AI to run them (or even a sufficiently complex but unthinking algorithm). It's not a hardware issue anymore, it's a software issue.

I can even see something like those privacy invading 'speakers' we're reading so much about solving some of the issues. Imagine, for instance, a system set up not to buy things from Amazon, but to engage a home automation mechanism or grab the attention of a remote operator with nursing training when called upon. Or maybe have it listen for sounds of anguish or a fall so it can ask, "Are you OK?" and notify 911 if it doesn't get a suitable response. Connect it to things in the home so it knows if you've used the toilet in the last 24hrs, if the stove has been left on, to let it shut the TV off if it thinks it needs to communicate with you, to monitor whether you're even in your home at all.

Maybe (most sinister of all) give it access to your contacts list and keep track of how long its been since you've spoken to anyone, then send reminders of birthdays, anniversaries, etc. to hopefully get you some protection against unintentional social isolation.

Re:He's (sort of) wrong

[stephanruby]

Just being able to lift seniors in and out of bed, or readjusting the sheets, (without hurting the caregiver's back) would be a real boon to caregivers.

I'm a big guy myself, I know how to lift properly, but I still hurt myself taking care of my elderly mother (even though, home hospice care lent us a motorized hospital bed). And I can't imagine nurses doing this kind of work for very long if they hurt their lower back or get carpal tunnel syndrome after just a few weeks.

Re:He's (sort of) wrong

[Baron_Yam]

We have pretty decent environment mapping and object detection now. Not as good as a small mammal, but pretty good compared to what most people believe computers can do these days.

There are now robots that can walk, run, climb stairs, etc.

We (common consumers, not the military or industry) will get full-function sexbots first. That's where the easy money is - there's already one with an animated head that can utter prerecorded sounds when triggered. Then will come the basic robotic nurse. And after that, presumably the dual-use nurse/sexbot.

Re:He's (sort of) wrong

[Cro Magnon]

One of my mom's friends was a tiny woman, maybe 80-90 pounds tops. Her grandson was about my size (not small), and half my age, but he had trouble lifting her. She was pretty much dead weight, and lifting her was harder than one would think just looking at her.

Brings up an interesting point about lifespan

[Solandri]

Quality of life matters more than longevity. While it's fun to compare countries by life expectancy, is having a longer lifespan really "better" if you're going to spend that extra 5 years (83 for Japan, 78 for the U.S.) confined to a nursing home needing someone's assistance for all your basic needs and bodily functions?

Maybe "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long" is really the way we should be approaching this. AARP forgive me, but maybe we should decrease or stop funding for research against illnesses which typically afflict us when we're elderly, and concentrate instead on combating diseases which can strike us down in childhood to middle age.

You also need to pay for longer lifespan by working longer (retiring later) if you want to maintain the same standard of living. Is it really worth giving up 3-4 years (retirement at 68-69 instead of 65), in order to gain 5 years of extra life at 78?

Re:Brings up an interesting point about lifespan

[wyHunter]

On the other hand if you stop diseases that strike the elderly, like dementia, a lot is learned about diseases that afflict the young. A huge number of diseases in first world countries are lifestyle based.

just say no to pain, suffering, dementia...

[swell]

I'm well into my 70s and I have a suggestion worth discussing. Why not let seniors opt out?

Many that I know would be willing to take the 'deep sleep' pill because they feel that they are a burden to others. They have outlived their usefulness. It's time to go. I may be healthy and active for many more years, but the chances are ever increasing that something may go wrong and my own life will have negative value. I'm willing to bow out.

So consider your own situation and that of people you know. It's illegal in most places, but should there be an option to 'opt out' for everyone whenever they want?

Re:just say no to pain, suffering, dementia...

[Baron_Yam]

>Many that I know would be willing to take the 'deep sleep' pill because they feel that they are a burden to others. They have outlived their usefulness. It's time to go

Let me let you in on a little secret - you outlived your usefulness before you were conceived, simply because there's no objective point to existing. Why should your worth be measured by your ability to make life easier for others?

Subjectively, life is what you make it. As a social primate, your instincts should probably drive you to find some kind of point in life based on having and sharing experiences with others... and being near the end of normal human life expectancy doesn't prevent you from doing that so long as your health is decent.

>Why not let seniors opt out?

I would actually say, "Why not let people opt out?". And my response is that we should. But since as best we can tell your unique consciousness gets one go and one only at life, it's probably not a bad idea to make really, really sure people aren't taking a permanent nap to avoid a transitory issue that perhaps could be overcome with some assistance. Eventually you'll die anyway, so ever possible positive second of existence should be enjoyed. Right back to that 'social primate' thingy - empathy, communal care, etc.

Now, having said all that, please don't ask how I'm making the most of my life, because I'm pretty much a keyboard warrior at work and a couch potato at home.

Re:just say no to pain, suffering, dementia...

[wyHunter]

In theory this seems like a great idea -and perhaps for some it would be - but I bet more often than not an older person would be pressured to go for euthanasia by greedy heirs so they don't use all "the heirs'" money in a final illness. (Hint, it isn't their money!)

Healthier people have better quality of life

[rsilvergun]

even as they age. There's a point where that's not true, but if you're living well you won't hit that until 70 unless your genetics suck (which for most Japanese they don't).