One day while I was cleaning my Dad's room, it occurred to me how nice it would be to have an android caregiver. Considering the cost of nursing homes, assisted living and home caregivers, the cost would probably be a lot less. Perhaps an android could even be rented for a fee that's less than the price of monthly car payment or cable TV.
Possible cost per month.
Assisted Living: 5K
Android: $200
If they can make a car that can drive itself, wouldn't it be a bit possible to make an android caregiver? I couldn't help but think of the advantages.
1. An android can keep an eye on your loved one 24/7. This means that when they forget their walker in the middle of the night, the android can be there to remind them and help them get safely back into bed.
2. An android could help your elderly loved one in and out of the shower. An extra bonus is that one wouldn't have to be embarrassed to be naked in front of an android. Plus a man could have an android that appears male, etc.
3. He or she could be there to operate the TV remote. This would avoid a senior the problem of messing up the TV.
4. House hold chores would be easy for an android. Laundry, vacuuming, maybe even cooking or at least making a sandwich.
5. If your loved one likes to play cards or other games, then the android would be perfect for them.
6. Some of the elderly might need to be lifted or helped up. Caregivers put their backs at risk, but with a strong android problem solved!
7. An android could extent the years an elderly person can stay in there home.
A few possible cons....
1. Some elderly people might think the android is a real person if made too lifelike. Not sure if that would be good or bad.
2. I wouldn't trust an android to drive my Dad to appointments. Not yet.
3. There might be times when an android might get confused about what your loved wants them to do. However, I think they could find a workaround. Example: My Dad has trouble with his speech, and the android could call me if he can't figure it out.
4. Androids could replace human caregivers, causing a spike in unemployment. In recent years, I've noticed a lot of senior living and assisted living buildings opening, but with android caregivers they might end up having to close.
There was a pretty good movie called I think "Robot & Frank" where Frank Langella is an old man who gets a robot pal and bonds with it. Bicentennial Man, AI, and The Jetsons also had robot companions or caregivers. It didn't really work out real well for all of those. I think the problem in the former two is the android could live a lot longer than the humans.
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