I don't see any point in being vinegary enough to condemn people for spending a small amount of money on doing right, just because it isn't larger. I mean, you could play that game all the way up to "You only spent half your income." When is enough, enough to be grateful for?
eta: And who ever improved without starting small first?
I suspect that the difficulty lies in the kinds of services needed by a contracting population--namely, elder care and end-of-life care. Those are always going to require human beings, and a lot of them, if they are to be done well. I've heard people speak of having robots do bathing, helping to the toilet, etc. and that might be possible--but they'll never be able to deal with the major issue of isolation and loneliness. Human caregivers can help at least a bit with that. Not so robots.
Results: Twenty-nine studies were included, of which most were of moderate to high quality. Eighteen were observational and 11 were experimental. Twenty-four used robots, four used computer agents and one study used both. The majority of results showed that robots or computer agents positively impacted at least one loneliness outcome measure. Some unintended negative consequences on social outcomes were reported, such as sadness when the robot was removed. Overall, the interventions helped to combat loneliness by acting as a direct companion (69%), a catalyst for social interaction (41%), facilitating remote communication with others (10%) and reminding users of upcoming social engage-ments (3%).
I don't see any point in being vinegary enough to condemn people for spending a small amount of money on doing right, just because it isn't larger. I mean, you could play that game all the way up to "You only spent half your income." When is enough, enough to be grateful for?
eta: And who ever improved without starting small first?
And since when is a 10% premium a small price to pay for "buying American" or buying locally sourced goods? Sales tax already adds 10.5% to all of my purchases except groceries - and it will be 11% starting October 1 because LA County voted to tax ourselves to make up for Trump's cuts to public healthcare. So the $10 item becomes $11 because it's local and then $12.21 because of sales tax. If you're talking about adding 10% for "buying American" large appliances or vehicles, you're adding hundreds of dollars to your purchases. People here in Long Beach frequently go just over the county line to Orange County for car purchases where the sales tax is a few percentage points lower. Don't tell me 10% isn't real money.
I suspect that the difficulty lies in the kinds of services needed by a contracting population--namely, elder care and end-of-life care. Those are always going to require human beings, and a lot of them, if they are to be done well. I've heard people speak of having robots do bathing, helping to the toilet, etc. and that might be possible--but they'll never be able to deal with the major issue of isolation and loneliness. Human caregivers can help at least a bit with that. Not so robots.
Results: Twenty-nine studies were included, of which most were of moderate to high quality. Eighteen were observational and 11 were experimental. Twenty-four used robots, four used computer agents and one study used both. The majority of results showed that robots or computer agents positively impacted at least one loneliness outcome measure. Some unintended negative consequences on social outcomes were reported, such as sadness when the robot was removed. Overall, the interventions helped to combat loneliness by acting as a direct companion (69%), a catalyst for social interaction (41%), facilitating remote communication with others (10%) and reminding users of upcoming social engage-ments (3%).
I believe robot companions are increasingly being used in Japan. I have mixed feelings about this. I can completely see how an elderly person might prefer an AI companion in certain ways, rather as some elderly people become very attached to their pets. But I am not sure how healthy it is. Maybe it is fine. Maybe it is not.
I believe robot companions are increasingly being used in Japan. I have mixed feelings about this. I can completely see how an elderly person might prefer an AI companion in certain ways, rather as some elderly people become very attached to their pets. But I am not sure how healthy it is. Maybe it is fine. Maybe it is not.
Results
In total, 68 participants completed both the baseline and follow-up surveys (34 in each group). The average age of the participants was 82.3 (SD 6.5) years, and 64 (N=68, 94%) participants were women. A linear mixed-effects model with a random intercept indicated that loneliness decreased more in the intervention group than in the control group (difference-in-difference −3.1, 95% CI −5.9 to −0.4). Psychological well-being also improved in the intervention group (difference-in-difference 1.9, 95% CI 0.1 to 3.7). We identified 4 categories through content analysis: emotional support and psychological connection, lifestyle assistance, enrichment of social interaction, and cognitive and mental stimulation.
Conclusions
Social robots can reduce loneliness among community-dwelling older adults in non-Western societies. Information and communication technology appears to be an effective approach for alleviating loneliness and enhancing well-being among older adults in community settings.
Are there other aspects of health that you have in mind?
Most of the 'old people' things my Dad (84) does, are run by old people for old people. Recent retirees keep an eye on the older blokes, who seem quite good at reaching out to each other. I don't think this is something generational which came through from middle age - it seems to be a camaraderie which has developed amongst them fairly lately. It's nice - he was not a very social man when younger, and worked long hours, and this is a change for him.
I believe robot companions are increasingly being used in Japan. I have mixed feelings about this. I can completely see how an elderly person might prefer an AI companion in certain ways, rather as some elderly people become very attached to their pets. But I am not sure how healthy it is. Maybe it is fine. Maybe it is not.
Results
In total, 68 participants completed both the baseline and follow-up surveys (34 in each group). The average age of the participants was 82.3 (SD 6.5) years, and 64 (N=68, 94%) participants were women. A linear mixed-effects model with a random intercept indicated that loneliness decreased more in the intervention group than in the control group (difference-in-difference −3.1, 95% CI −5.9 to −0.4). Psychological well-being also improved in the intervention group (difference-in-difference 1.9, 95% CI 0.1 to 3.7). We identified 4 categories through content analysis: emotional support and psychological connection, lifestyle assistance, enrichment of social interaction, and cognitive and mental stimulation.
Conclusions
Social robots can reduce loneliness among community-dwelling older adults in non-Western societies. Information and communication technology appears to be an effective approach for alleviating loneliness and enhancing well-being among older adults in community settings.
Are there other aspects of health that you have in mind?
That seems positive. I note that the robot responses were "crafted by trained operatives" though. I wonder if it would make a difference if a) the responses were AI and b) the users knew the responses were AI?
Given that one AI system I know of boasts a 91 percent accuracy rate (which translates into "We get almost one in ten interactions completely wrong"), well, I think it unwise. At this point, surely...
Comments
eta: And who ever improved without starting small first?
And since when is a 10% premium a small price to pay for "buying American" or buying locally sourced goods? Sales tax already adds 10.5% to all of my purchases except groceries - and it will be 11% starting October 1 because LA County voted to tax ourselves to make up for Trump's cuts to public healthcare. So the $10 item becomes $11 because it's local and then $12.21 because of sales tax. If you're talking about adding 10% for "buying American" large appliances or vehicles, you're adding hundreds of dollars to your purchases. People here in Long Beach frequently go just over the county line to Orange County for car purchases where the sales tax is a few percentage points lower. Don't tell me 10% isn't real money.
I believe robot companions are increasingly being used in Japan. I have mixed feelings about this. I can completely see how an elderly person might prefer an AI companion in certain ways, rather as some elderly people become very attached to their pets. But I am not sure how healthy it is. Maybe it is fine. Maybe it is not.
That seems positive. I note that the robot responses were "crafted by trained operatives" though. I wonder if it would make a difference if a) the responses were AI and b) the users knew the responses were AI?