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An AI smart watch for homeless people. Monitors location, talks to them, helps them when they're lost etc.
I was taking the wife to lunch the other day and there was a distraught looking guy near the entrance standing next to his bike with another guy on a bike talking to him. I noticed the bike's
chain was hanging down, the derailleur being missing. He looked very sad, hanging his head and barely keeping his eyes open. The other guy on the bike was talking to him and he said "Hey buddy, I was homeless for 6 years, I know how it is." and tried to hand him a few dollars that the other guy refused saying "No, I don't do that." He said he was lost and couldn't find the homeless shelter explaining he was cognitively impaired, although he didn't use that terminology, he said he was "Half a retard." I told the wife to wait inside and told him we'd get him home somehow. Having worked with homeless before with my son, a police officer, doing ride alongs that included wellness checks on homeless camps (he administers Narcan on a regular basis, 2 or 3 times a month) I thought I'd call the police but they were no help. I offered to give him a ride to the homeless shelter but his bike wouldn't fit. He said "It's junk anyway." Then a gentlemen with a pickup truck noticing the conversation offered to take it. I called the homeless shelter and they said They were very concerned because Mike didn't come home last night. I turned to him and said "Have you been awake all night trying to get home?" and he nodded, barely able to hold his head up. Upon driving him home he said he had thought of suicide because he was useless. He said the only reason he hadn't is because he has a son and that would hurt him. When we pulled up to the shelter I walked him inside and told him that I had gone through hard times but because there were people who depended on me, I fought my way through because that's what a man does. He said "Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity." I wrote a poem about it that I'll post later after the idea. I also vowed to try to do something to help these people I see barely hanging on to life. We eventually got lunch, my wife was very patient.
Anyway, the idea is to have a tracking smart watch to keep an eye on these people and to have mobile units that bring them food, bring them to shelter, give them emotional support, basically a robot caretaker. When the battery is low, the mobile caretakers would go swap the watch for a charged one every few days and do a wellness check as well. The AI friend and overseer would know the specifics of this person and would walk them through the daily trials of being homeless as best the technology would allow.
Here's some features:
1- Location.
2- Health notification including overdose indication.
3- Mental health counseling.
4- Documentation of when person was last given food.
5- Real time directions to services.
6- Dangerous weather condition warnings, heat, cold.
7- A step by step plan to get out of their situation and work towards having a place to live, getting off drugs and eventually getting employment and freedom from being homeless.
Being the real person link to these would be a good job for former homeless people, I was struck by how motivated the formerly homeless guy wanted to help Mike, the guy I described.
[link]
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Here's my poem about my experiences with homeless people. |
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I’ve struggled up the mountain side, to climb above the din. |
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I’ve fought my way with knuckles bare, to break out from within. |
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And after years of toil and tears, I’ve taken as my prize, |
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The feeling that I finally feel blessed to be alive. |
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But in this time of victory, I look down and I see |
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Another who reminds me of the wretch I used to be. |
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I see their tears of anguish, and I know from where they've come. |
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I want to reach my hand and say, “My friend, you are not done.” |
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For I too once looked up, from in the mud through pouring rain. |
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I never thought the day would come, when time would stop the pain. |
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When sailing on our ship of life, through cold and sleet and hail. |
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Tomorrow brings the sun, and that strong wind can fill our sail. |
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The rain that batters us today, tomorrow gives us drink. |
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And from that mud a flower grows, so let’s take pause to think. |
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If I can get through times like this, I know that you can too. |
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Because I’m just a human being, the very same as you. |
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Fixed your meter, hope you don't mind |
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WE'RE ONLY HUMAN, by [doctorremulac] |
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I’ve struggled up the mountain side, to climb above the din.
I’ve fought my way with knuckles bare, to break out from within. |
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And after years of toil and tears, I’ve taken as my prize,
The feeling that I finally know I'm blessed to be alive. |
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But still in victory, troubled thought, I look below and see
Another who reminds me of the wretch I used to be. |
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I see their tears of anguish, and I know from whence they've come.
I want to reach my hand and say, “My friend, you are not done.” |
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For I looked up once too from in the mud through pouring rain.
I never thought the day would come, when time would stop the pain. |
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When sailing on our ship of life, through cold and sleet and hail.
Tomorrow brings the sun, and that strong wind can fill our sail. |
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The rain that batters us today, tomorrow gives us drink.
And from that mud a flower grows, so let’s take pause to think. |
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If I can get through times like this, I know that you can too.
Because I’m just a human being, the very same as you |
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Thank you sir, is easier to read now. I don’t spend a lot of time on these things, spelling’s probably got some glitches too. |
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I was thinking of buying Mike another bike but honestly I don't know if that's safe and what if he got lost again? |
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I gotta stop overthinking things. My daughter's a councilor who works in suicide prevention and his talking about killing himself like that really hit me. I had a hard time sleeping that night frankly. |
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