I don't want a robot friend

When I worked in care homes, one lady liked to have a realistic looking stuffed cat sitting on her lap. (not a robot cat)
Sometimes, tho, she would become alarmed, calling out that the cat was dead.
Another lady had 3 little dolls that she talked to and called her babies. The home manager gave her a realistic looking doll baby and the poor lady was horrified, saying she couldn't look after it.
(both those ladies had dementia).

Horrific idea

I have a little chat with Alexa every night, asking her to turn my lamps off (which are named after the grandkids) and chiding her when she doesn't.

On the one hand the whole idea sounds outrageous (especially in a care home), on the other I am conscious how much enjoyment my elderly Mum, who lives alone, gets from chatting to Alexa on occasions. Have just started to read Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan - maybe I should stop, right now.

A clip of an electronic pet therapy cat in a dementia unit in the US
youtu.be/K0aC9gUMm1g

Well, if this trend continues we will be able to do away with humans altogether. That would make life a lot more easy for
our future consumer society.

A lot of you are missing the point, which is that no staff in care homes have enough time to sit with an elderly possibly demented person all day to provide companionship and conversation. Yes, if you have one to one staff/patient ratio, but this is not and never will be an option. Many care homes are excellent but have to employ foreign staff because this job is not popular with British people. Some of the foreign staff do not have a good grasp of English. I think this robot is a very good substitute for a person. The robot will never get tired of hearing the same story over and over... Its an excellent idea and nothing to do with a lack of compassion.
Perhaps the reverse.

What many care homes need at the moment isn’t a robot but a a complete rethink of their visiting policies. Anyone else been following Shelagh Fogarty on LBC and her campaign on this? It’s heartbreaking what some families and residents are suffering

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Well I frequently talk to myself, inanimate objects about the house, the dog and Alexa, sometimes I even talk to Mr Happy. Think I would quite enjoy a robot friend

I saw examples of these at The Design Museum in London 5 or 6 years ago. I was fascinated and repelled at the same time. They had a robotic dog, too. One of the examples could be programmed to summon help and answer the door. If they could be designed to do practical domestic tasks - clean, cook, etc - then I can see a purpose, but for companionship I think not. But who knows what the future may bring? Science fiction may already have predicted it.

would a teddy bear, or stuffed toy be as useful as a robot cat?
just wondering,

I know that without my cat here, I would not have got through these last few months, I do wonder if I outlive her,, what I would do... living creatures... for me , everytime

Saw this on the news yesterday. Having someone to interact with is the purpose I think. Never dismiss technology...

I can only comment on experience. My Mum recently passed away. She had vascular dementia. She was in a care home for the last 9 months of her life and she really enjoyed the activities. I got her a robotic cat about 18months ago while she was living with us. She absolutely loved it. She knew it wasn't real but interacted with it as if it was. In her last few weeks while she was bed bound it was a massive comfort to her. I was allowed to see her several times as she was at end of life. Every time I visited she had her hand on it. We took Fluffy to her funeral and placed it on her coffin while my husband gave the tribute. It raised a smile in a sad occasion. As for the new robots. If someone finds it a comfort what does it matter. It is NOT a replacement for human interaction. I heard a man talking to one on the radio earlier telling stories of his early life. He was fine with it.

Feel so sad that it has come to this, replacing humans with robots. Where has the compassion for older people gone

Until I get into that situation I can't form an opinion - I will say, though, I do talk to my Roomba vacuum cleaner, mainly because it talks to me!!

I worked with the elderly mentally ill for more than twenty years. Nothing cheered them up more than a friendly person to chat to and in some cases to hold their hand. I realise that this may not be possible in this pandemic, but give me a person every time!

I was horrified to see the robot in the care home, what a sad society we have become that a machine has to be purchased to entertain humans.

We need to put more effort into learning how to remain healthy, so when the end comes it is fast. (I hope).

jenwren, Isn't it a shame that we have this idea of being a burden our families have to visit and they will be delighted to not have to do it. I think your family might be shocked that you think that but I'm sure many think that way. In our culture there is no time or respect for us as older people. We have lived through much, worked hard, grown as people etc. In Eastern cultures older people are seen as valuable and their wisdom is often sought out by the younger generations. When I was in India young people I met tried to touch my feet... a gesture of respect for older people. Here the government will just see me as a burden on resources .....and the sooner I die the less they will need to spend!

I did a web search

Soylent Green,

anyone watched that... if not go watch! need a strong stomach or mind!

www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/

sadness oozing out of me..

what I query with these robots,,, what happens to the humans? we are already overpopulated with humans..
now what is the name of that film..??

begins with an S.... I can never remember the name,, I will come back....

meanwhile tell me,, anyone,, robots doing all the humans work,,, what happens to humans? we are superfluous...

My best friend moved yesterday to live 200 miles away.
I'm going to miss her.
Could I replace her with a robot? I don't think so.

Hadn't you heard of ELIZA? Also, there is a programme that acts like a Confessional - it picks up words and asks about them, and changes tack when you do. I tried confusing it... and I managed to! But then, I taught Kindergarten, so it was easy! www.vice.com/en_us/article/payax9/you-can-now-tell-your-problems-to-a-robot

I can see pros and cons. A robot friend is better than no friend at all and if it provides intelligent conversation where's the harm? Yet it's a bit sad if it's a substitute for real people.

OTOH could it be programmed to summon help if there is no response from the human (or any other emergency situation?) My late MIL may have found the conversation a benefit as she loved company all the time which her family couldn't provide. I find it difficult to get my head round the fact that it's a machine instead of a person but is it any worse than a machine in ICU for instance?