An innovative new motion sensor robot computer system is in development to keep seniors living in their homes longer. The new technology will involve robots scooting from room to room to wake homeowners in the morning, remind them to eat and send for help if someone falls. Also, sensors embedded throughout seniors’ homes will detect when the residents have sleepless nights or forget to take their medication and the web-based computer software that accompanies the system will notify caregivers. “This is the future of aging,” said Fillia Makedon, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. “Technology will let people grow old at home.”
With support from the National Science Foundation and others, Makedon has created the Heracleia Human-Centered Computing Laboratory at UTA, where she, other faculty members and their students are designing technology that will allow tomorrow’s seniors to remain independent longer than previous generations. The UTA lab houses a make-believe one-bedroom apartment equipped with high-tech cameras, motion sensors and robots, and is surrounded by computers. Professors and students measure movement within the furnished apartment and feed the data into computers that will alert them to measurements outside a normal range. Once the technology is perfected, caregivers will be able to sign on to a secure Web site and check how well a senior is recovering from surgery or responding to a new prescription, Makedon said.
With the expected number of baby boomers entering into retirement to double in the next 25 years, experts believe that there will not be enough trained caregivers to accommodate all. Also, it is expected that Medicaid won’t be able to cover boomers’ costs without some form of relief. Fearing that seniors might by weary of using this hi-tech system, the AARP conducted a study. Surprisingly, the survery found that 9 of 10 older adults will agree to remote monitoring if it keeps them independent. Hopefully this technology will help ease the strain the aging population will place on the nation’s long-term care system.
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