Alexa’s newest feature: care provider?

It seems everything these days is headed towards becoming  self-functioning. Whether it’s Siri, Alexa, the Rumba Vacuum or self-driving cars, robots and artificial intelligence are becoming a highly popular way to increase convenience and even safety for consumers.

At the Inter-Company Long Term Care Insurance (ILTCI) Conference in Las Vegas last week, the Newman Long Term Care team heard some surprising news about the implementation of this very same technology in the long term care industry. In fact, experts in Japan are already working to develop caregiving robots to aid in the care of the country’s large aging population1. All bots are designed to not only help people remain independent, but also to help bridge the caregiver shortage that will soon be happening in Japan (and is expected to hit the US by about 2040)­­­2.

These robots are equipped to help elders with basic tasks, such as lifting them, helping them open doors, and providing stability for walking. They also utilize artificial intelligence features in order to help prevent loneliness and depression from developing in their care recipients. With future development, these robots have the potential to monitor falls using sensors and predict emerging health concerns by observing daily habits. If you are finding all of these advancements hard to believe take a second and go ask Alexa or Siri about it, we’ll wait!

So, how should you factor in technological advancement when choosing a long term care insurance policy? Look for features like “Emerging Trends” benefits that may cover future care options that do not yet exist!

 

1 Reuters, The future of U.S. caregiving: High demand, scarce workers

2 The Guardian, Japan lays groundwork for boom in robot careers

 

 

Comments are closed.