care robots in care for the elderly

The care of the elderly in Germany is facing a big challenge: An aging society, fewer and fewer trained nurses. The chronically under-occupied homes and facilities are bursting at the seams. Under the high stress in the care of the elderly suffer not only the strong pressure on the employees, but in the next step, the residents, because the quality of care with the rising costs steadily decreases. A possible solution to medical technicians to see in the so-called care robots. This can be constructed, such as in industrial production sites for the management of the care of any Work and be programmed. According to a study by some German can make friends quite so, to be in the future of a machine is looked after.

Social acceptance of the care robot

So a study of the Federal Ministry for education and research from the year 2015 to the result that more than a quarter of all German citizens can imagine, in the age of a robot is maintained. For the optimization of the human body, such as implants for a better memory performance, even slightly more than half of the respondents. Especially high popularity among young people. Among the 14 – to 19-Year-old keeps even a majority of 62.3 percent is a good idea. As humans and technology merge more and more.

Vision of the future to present – care robot in Germany

In fact, the first prototypes of nursing robots, which are tested in the facilities, or daily use already exist. Most of them can help to ensure that everyday Work is to store the patients and residents or to lift from the bed to a wheelchair. But there are also robots like Pepper. The 1.20 meters tall and 29 kg heavy machine is currently being tested in the University hospital in Halle. Peppers task is more likely to be in an area, the machines, by nature, never so able to do as humans: The human area. The little robot with a friendly face to interact with people, can understand simple sentences, language, establish eye contact and recognize faces. When you work everyday, he can’t help, however. “We thought that Pepper can grab and Pick – up and delivery services handle or brush and a vacuum cleaner. He can’t do everything. The hands are really just to stabilize the Ride and to Gesticulate.“, says Dr. Karsten Schwarz from the University hospital of hall in a report from the MDR .

More features of the Care-O-bot 4 that was developed by the Fraunhofer IPA offers. With long arms and a hip joint equipped, he can grab objects that lie in a high shelf or on the floor. It can also be used, such as, for example, the service robots Casero, as a self-contained and freely navigating transport vehicle used. Thus, the machines provide the patient either with meals and drinks, bring medications and medical records from a Station in the other, or used bedding in the Laundry. Nevertheless, the area-wide use in the facilities is yet a utopia.

The use of care robots in Japan

In the mother’s country of robotics, is already a step further. And for good reason: In Japan, the demographic change is even more pronounced than in Germany, for example. It is, according to current estimates, by 2025, approximately one Million nurses will be a shortage of the aging society. Therefore, increasingly robots are used in homes for the elderly. You can detect emergencies and communicate, dirty Laundry, or drinks, transport or storage of the home to help residents. So more time for the care of the client remains the human caregivers. The scope of the care robots, tasks undertaken, but should rise with the coming of the new developments.

Professor Ryosuke Tasaki is working at the Technical University of Toyohashi in the care robot Terapio. This model is designed to support the head physician on Rounds. Terapio not only the doctor from sick bed to sick bed, but it also identifies patients at your face and automatically loads the appropriate file. On the Display, ECG, blood pressure, and different values are displayed in a tray, dressings, and medications. So Terapio assumes the duties of the Doctors, but to work them. “If I were a hospital Manager, I would make First a list: all of the work divide areas between humans and robots.”, explains Prof. Tasaki in a conversation with the time. “Heavy Lifting and the storage of information should be robots. People make too many mistakes or harm even to themselves. The psychological components of care should provide more human care workers.“, the 33-year-old Professor.

Practical help or therapeutic application?

A further development from the Land of the rising sun, Robear. The robot, whose Appearance was modeled after a bear, helps to lift patients from the bed to a wheelchair. On the other side of the spectrum, models that have quite a different purpose. Paro, for example, was programmed by its inventor, Takanori Shibata from the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, social and equipped with sensor technology. The robot looks like a small monk seal of the species and responds to touch such as Stroking with movements and facial Expressions. Thus, Paro specially-trained dogs to replace and dementia patients or children with autism for the caregivers responsive. Thus, the small seal has quite a potential therapeutic, the most other robots do not have.

The two application areas in which the care robot may be used to divide, in the practical, physical help, and the social, therapeutic help. Combine the two aspects so far, only a few models.

The price for the help: So much the cost of care robots

The biggest Problem is the price-to-performance ratio is yet. The cost for development and design of care robots are so far out of proportion to the actual Use. Although smaller machines, such as Pepper are with a price of around US $ 2,000 affordable, can remove the professionals, but it does not work. Functional models, such as Care-O-bot and Casero can relieve the employee, but are also much more expensive. So the price for Casero, according to one of the world cited employee of an institution, in which the robot was tested, of a mid-class car. Thus, the acquisition is for most households not only impossible, but also not cost-effective. For care facilities, can such a purchase with the time you recoup, the cost for a place in a nursing home increases in the foreseeable future, not fall.

Nevertheless, a great opportunity lies in the Installation of care robots in nursing homes. A large part of the working time of the nurses and nurses lost in the gift of meals, medication or transportation of Laundry. If this work is taken over by care robots, leaving more time for personal contact with the home residents. So the facilities are not able to only save in the medium term, money. The quality of care can also be improved, since the professionals can concentrate on their work. Because in this area the health and care of the elderly, the supervisor and managers are absolutely irreplaceable.

Elderly care is more than storage, and personal hygiene

Here are the biggest weaknesses of the care robot show. For one, you can assume maybe a small part of the work, until there is but a model, that all the activities of a care can run the motor satisfactorily, and it will take some time. On the other, it is almost unthinkable that a robot in the health, care or social work ever the benefits of a personal and empathetic care to replace can.

The Feedback from many residents, in their facilities, the maintenance robots were tested. The residents are accustomed to the social contact and want to be part of the only very reluctantly from a machine support or help. And this is understandable: Who lives in a nursing home in a strange environment, places great value on human interaction and familiar faces. Thus, it is at least in the medium term is necessary to find a quality and affordable Alternative to the overburdened nursing homes.

The Alternative is the present: 24-hour care from Poland

Who comprehensive and professional maintenance services and neither want to miss out on how human interaction, with the 24-hour care is a good and cost-effective Alternative to a retirement home. Here to take care of forces from Eastern Europe basic care, help in the household and in the mobilization. Since it is concluded for several months in the apartment of their relatives move in with me, mostly automatically, with the time, a personal relationship of trust. In addition, the seniors can remain in their own four walls and not have to adjust to a completely new and foreign environment.

If you like the commitment of a Polish care worker for a patient’s family members into consideration, you can simply offer to use the service. After you provide us with the help of our questionnaire, your need to submit, we will bring you with up to three providers together, which you then in the next step, a concrete and non-binding offer . Alternatively, you may want to choose the appropriate service provider from our provider directory. Particularly helpful was the comprehensive reviews of other users of the portal, which give you a good impression of the company and help to find the right Agency for you.

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