As aging population gets bigger and dementia (老年痴呆症) more common, more families are struggling with a complex question: How do you support a love done with dementia, especially when you have a full-time job and several kids?
Reg Urbanowski may have an answer to this pressing issue—robots.
He and his team managed to develop a new type of robots named TP robots. Looking like stand-up vacuum cleaners (真空吸尘器) attached to an iPad, they can be activated remotely (远程地) via a smartphone and guided remotely by a controller app similar to the way a mouse is used on a desktop computer. All possess audio and visual communication capabilities, allowing the operator to be "in the room" to interact with Mom or Dad.
He believes that caregivers and family members can use a TP robot to "look in" on people with mild dementia. He says, "TP robots provide an effective solution for reducing caregivers' burden, especially for those who have career or other out-of-home activities."
Urbanowski and his team have carried out a study that involves providing TP robots for 15 Toronto families. These robots are programmed to provide reminders of necessary daily routine like turning off the gas, taking medicine and having dinner. They will also help ensure patients are getting the exercise they need to maintain their health and well-being.
Erin Crawford, Program Director with the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, says she has faith that TP robots will prove beneficial, particularly when it comes to reminding people with dementia to do certain things at certain times. "It means that family members that can't be there, for whatever reason, know that those things are still happening," she says.
