{"id":71464,"date":"2020-09-20T20:00:17","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T17:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes\/"},"modified":"2020-09-20T20:00:17","modified_gmt":"2020-09-20T17:00:17","slug":"how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"#How humane is the UK\u2019s plan to introduce robot companions in care homes?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4204f68dcbe\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4204f68dcbe\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes\/#Tactile_connection\" >Tactile connection<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes\/#Techno-fix\" >Techno-fix<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#How humane is the UK\u2019s plan to introduce robot companions in care homes?<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">watch Movies<\/a> or TV series visit the <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/dizi.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dizi.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n                                <em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you\u2019re interested in AI? Then <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">join our online event, TNW2020<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where you\u2019ll hear how artificial intelligence is transforming industries and businesses.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Some UK care homes are to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2020\/sep\/07\/robots-used-uk-care-homes-help-reduce-loneliness\">deploy robots<\/a> in an attempt to allay loneliness and boost mental health. The wheeled machines will \u201cinitiate rudimentary conversations, play residents\u2019 favorite music, teach them languages, and offer practical help, including medicine reminders.\u201d They are being introduced after <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carehomeprofessional.com\/robot-care-home-trial-claims-significant-mental-health-benefits\/\">an international trial<\/a> found they reduced anxiety and loneliness.<\/p>\n<p>These robots can hold basic conversations and be programmed to people\u2019s interests. This is positive, but they are not a viable alternative to human interaction. It\u2019s a sad state of affairs when robots are presented as solutions to human loneliness. Though intended as a way to fill in for carers in a \u201cstretched <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> care system\u201d rather than as a long-term solution, the use of robots is a slippery slope in removing the aged and infirm still further from the nerves and fibers of human interaction.<\/p>\n<p>Robot companions have been trialled in the UK and Japan, from dogs that sit to attention to young women greeting isolated businessmen after a long day at work. They certainly serve a function in reminding people what it is to have companionship, helping with crude social interaction and providing cues to what it is to be human.<\/p>\n<p>But robots cannot provide the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/gadgets-and-tech\/features\/robot-carer-elderly-people-loneliness-ageing-population-care-homes-a8659801.html\">altruism and compassion<\/a> that should be at the core of a caring system. And they might even increase loneliness in the long term by reducing the actual contact people have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007%252Fs10676-010-9234-6\">with humans<\/a>, and by increasing a sense of disconnect.<\/p>\n<p>While there have been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1525861007005166\">studies<\/a> showing robotic pets can reduce loneliness, such research is <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>ly based on a contrast with no interaction at all, rather than a comparison of human and robotic interaction.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1318225 lazy\" alt=\"\" width=\"754\" height=\"503\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/file-20200911-18-15lt2ar.jpg\" data-lazy=\"true\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/file-20200911-18-15lt2ar.jpg 754w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/file-20200911-18-15lt2ar-280x187.jpg 280w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/file-20200911-18-15lt2ar-405x270.jpg 405w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/file-20200911-18-15lt2ar-202x135.jpg 202w\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/neural\/2020\/09\/20\/how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes-syndication\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthenextweb.com%2Fneural%2F2020%2F09%2F20%2Fhow-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The humanoid robot, \u2018Pepper\u2019, that is to be introduced to care homes. Sascha Steinback\/EPA-EFE\" data-title=\"Share The humanoid robot, \u2018Pepper\u2019, that is to be introduced to care homes. Sascha Steinback\/EPA-EFE on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The humanoid robot, \u2018Pepper\u2019, that is to be introduced to care homes. Sascha Steinback\/EPA-EFE on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The humanoid robot, \u2018Pepper\u2019, that is to be introduced to care homes. Sascha Steinback\/EPA-EFE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s also important to factor in the role of novelty, which is often missing in care home environments. In 2007, a Japanese nursing home <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-japan-ageing-gadgets\/robots-turn-off-senior-citizens-in-aging-japan-idUST29547120070920\">introduced Ifbot<\/a>, a resident robot that provided emotional companionship, sang songs and gave trivia quizzes to elderly residents. The director of the faculty reported that residents were interested for about a month before they lost interest, preferring \u201cstuffed animals\u201d to the \u201ccommunication robot\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tactile_connection\"><\/span>Tactile connection<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The preference for stuffed animals is, I think, important, because it also connects to the sensory experience of loneliness. Cuddly toys can be hugged and even temporarily moulded by the shape and temperature of the human body. Robots cannot. There is a limit to the sense of connection and embodied comfort that can come from robotic caregivers, or pets.<\/p>\n<p>This is not only because robots show insufficient cultural awareness, and that their gestures might sometimes seem a little, well, mechanical. It\u2019s because robots do not have flesh and blood, or even the malleability of a stuffed toy.<\/p>\n<p>Consider the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-1-4614-3967-7_2\">controversial experiments<\/a> conducted by Harry Harlow in the 1950s that showed rhesus monkeys always preferred physical comfort to a mechanical caregiver, even if the latter had milk. Similarly, robots lack the warmth of a human or animal companion. They don\u2019t respond intuitively to the movement of their companions, or regulate the heartbeats of their owners through the simple power of touch.<\/p>\n<p>Loneliness is a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2018\/nov\/01\/loneliness-illness-body-mind-epidemic\">physical affliction<\/a> as well as a mental one. Companionship can improve health and increase wellbeing, but only when it is the right kind.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helpguide.org\/articles\/mental-health\/mood-boosting-power-of-dogs.htm\">Stroking a dog<\/a> can be soothing for the person as well as the animal. Walking a dog also gets people out of the house where that is possible, and encourages social interaction.<\/p>\n<p>As the owner of a young labrador, I am not always a fan of early rising. But I can see the positive emotional impact a pet has had on my young son, in contrast to many hours of technological absorption. An Xbox can\u2019t curl up on your bed in the middle of the night to keep you warm.<\/p>\n<p>And the infamous Labrador stink is like perfume to my son, who claims it makes him feel less lonely. So it\u2019s smell, as well as touch, that is involved loneliness \u2013 along with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/fay_bound_alberti_a_historical_journey_through_loneliness\">all the senses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Techno-fix\"><\/span>Techno-fix<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I am not a technophobe. In the Zoom world of COVID-19, technological solutions have a critical role in making people feel included, seen and listened to. In time, it may be that some of the distancing effects of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>, including the glitchy movements, whirring sounds and stilted body language will improve and become more naturalized. Similarly, robot companions may well in time become more lifelike. Who will remember the early, clunky days of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/furreal.hasbro.com\/en-gb\">Furreal pets?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But care robots are offering a solution that should not be needed. There is no reason for care home residents to be so devoid of human companionship (or animal support) that robot friends are the answer.<\/p>\n<p>There is something dysfunctional about the infrastructure in which care is delivered, if robots are an economically motivated solution. Indeed, the introduction of robots into emotional care de-skills the complex work of caring, while <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newstatesman.com\/science-tech\/technology\/2019\/08\/social-care-robots-privatise-loneliness-and-erode-pleasure-being\">commercializing and privatizing<\/a> responses to elderly loneliness.<\/p>\n<p>It is often presented as \u201cnatural\u201d or inevitable that elderly and infirm people live in homes, with other elderly and infirm people, shuttered away from the rest of the world. Care homes are an architectural way of concealing those that are least economically productive. There may be good homes, filled with h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y residents, but there are many stories of people being ignored and neglected, especially <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/care-homes-have-long-been-neglected-the-pandemic-has-shown-us-how-bad-things-are-137458\">during a pandemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>How we care for the elderly and the infirm is a cultural and political choice. Historically, elderly and infirm people were part of the social fabric and extended families. With a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ageing\/article\/26\/suppl_2\/3\/33629\">globally aging population<\/a>, many countries are revisiting how best to restructure care homes in ways that reflect demographic, economic and cultural needs.<\/p>\n<p>Care home schemes in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/europe\/2019\/08\/08\/a-dutch-care-home-experiments-with-housing-students-with-the-old\">the Netherlands<\/a>, house students with elderly people and is popular with both. With a little imagination, care homes can be radically rethought.<\/p>\n<p>New technologies have a role to play in society, just as they always have had in history. But they shouldn\u2019t be used to paper over the gaps left by a withdrawal of social care and a breakdown in what \u201ccommunity\u201d means in the 21st century. That\u2019s inhuman.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\" lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/145879\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/fay-bound-alberti-813657\">Fay Bound Alberti<\/a>, Reader in History and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-york-1344\">University of York<\/a>\u00a0under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/robots-to-be-introduced-in-uk-care-homes-to-allay-loneliness-thats-inhuman-145879\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"c-post-pubDate\">\n                                    Published September 20, 2020 \u2014 17:00 UTC\n                                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script data-src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;appId=378011798897423&amp;version=v2.6\" id=\"socialSrcFacebook\" type=\"text\/template\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>if you want to watch Movies or Tv Shows go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/dizi.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dizi.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a> <\/span> for forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/neural\/2020\/09\/20\/how-humane-is-the-uks-plan-to-introduce-robot-companions-in-care-homes-syndication\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How humane is the UK\u2019s plan to introduce robot companions in care homes?&#8221; If you want to watch Movies or TV series visit the Dizi.BuradaBiliyorum.Com So you\u2019re interested in AI? Then join our online event, TNW2020, where you\u2019ll hear how artificial intelligence is transforming industries and businesses. Some UK care homes are to deploy robots&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":71465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2020\/09\/image-6-2.png&signature=bfecc3f5b57a1c61f817f98590fbfb80","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}