industry & reform
Losing the
human touch?
The rise of technology in
health and aged care.
By Conor Burke
T
echnology is increasingly being
used in health and aged care
settings to combat a number of
issues. Infra-red vein finders, nurse-specific
smart devices and various monitoring tools
are being introduced on wards; Skype
and iPads are helping to keep families
connected to loved ones in aged care; and
across the world we are seeing the rise of
robots in care.
A recent story from the US told of a
doctor giving an elderly patient the news
that he did not have long to live – via robot.
According to reports, a nurse wheeled
in a device with a screen attached and
the doctor proceeded to interact with the
patient from another location, leaving the
family “devastated” and “upset”.
It got to the point where the patient’s
granddaughter had to break the news to
her grandfather “because he couldn’t hear
what the robot was saying”.
The US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has recently given out warnings
regarding the use of robots in cancer
surgeries, as reported by the New York
Times. Robotic cancer surgery has been
common for 15 years. The robot’s arms are
controlled by a computer run by a surgeon.
The FDA cited two recently published
journal findings that showed, in some
cases, patients “experienced four times as
many cancer recurrences and six times as
many deaths, compared with patients who
had the more traditional procedure”.
A study into the feasibility of iPad
videoconferencing in aged care found
the technology to be challenging for
older residents. The researchers said
that although the elderly like the idea,
without training and help from staff,
videoconferencing is difficult.
In addition, residents had privacy and
cyber-security concerns.
Another option being increasingly
considered is telepresence robots. Unlike
the doctor robot being wheeled around,
or the iPad, these robots are controlled
by a remote user, likely the family of
the resident.
A study of these robots in Finland
found that for the elderly, telepresence
provides benefits over non-mobile video
connections as they can interact with it in
a more natural manner. The robots also
increase the feeling of security, as the
elderly feel that people can ‘virtually’ pop
by and keep an eye on them.
Lamson, a robot currently being used
in residential care, delivers medicine and
meals, takes laundry and can even use lifts.
The next step in patient care may well
be more hands-on. Griffith University has
been using social robots to interact with
people with dementia, and a new startup
out of Sydney has been experimenting
with robots that can help patients take
their medicine.
Ikkiworks’ new robot, ikki, is part
companion, part clinician. Trialled primarily
with children living with cancer, ikki can
take the temperature of a patient, as well as
identify medication and alert the patient if
the medication is incorrect.
Eventually, ikkiworks hopes to
broaden the robot’s horizons and use
it for other ages, medical conditions
and health spaces, such as in aged
care for “monitoring and providing
companionship, for a group of people
who we know do tend to be isolated”, said
ikkiworks co-founder Clive McFarland.
Billy is another technology attempting
to improve elder care. It’s a series of
sensors that track different activity
types – temperature, movement, motion
and opening/closing doors – and send
the information wirelessly to the hub
in real time. A smartphone app then
presents the information to family and
carers, giving them peace of mind, and
allowing the elderly to keep a sense of
independence.
But what’s in store for the near future?
Aged care researcher Professor Wendy
Moyle from Griffith University says: “I think
the next innovations will be assistive robots
integrated with smart homes to help older
adults to stay at home longer.
“These are multifunctional robots that
are voice activated, can assist a person
with the activities of daily living, monitor
wellbeing, report wellbeing to healthcare
professionals/family, and can virtually
connect the person.
“Currently, most technologies tend not
to be multifunctional, whereas users want
them to do multiple tasks so they don’t
have to purchase multiple products. Such
products must be developed with end-
user involvement at all levels so that the
design is appropriate for older users and it
is functional.” ■
agedcareinsite.com.au 11