As humans age, they increasingly need supervision (in the literal sense) to keep them safe. This is definitely the case in residential care homes.
So, put a surveillance camera in their room.
But what about privacy issues ? While the resident has at least a few marbles, they are entitled to privacy for as for long as they're capable of understanding the concept and have the capacity to make informed choices.
What would be ideal is a camera that the resident could turn on and off and isn't too technical.
What's needed is the BorgCo Animatronic Avatar.
The unit is a fluffy toy, about 300mm tall, sitting in a "bed". The bed is placed on a suitably accessible level surface. The toy "wears" a collar and lead; the free end is plugged into the bed, which is wired to a power supply & network connection. Thus, the toy can be removed from the bed and handled. It has a wireless connection to the bed, and internal rechargeable batteries.
The toy has a camera or cameras in its eyes, and a microphone. When placed on its bed, it can survey the room. When it's daytime, it will occasionally look round, shift position, blink, move its ears etc. Breathing is simulated. The design is engineered to avoid the "Uncanny valley".
At night, the toy remains still.
If the toy is patted on the head, it lowers its face to its chest and covers its face with its hands - an unmistakable signal that it's not watching. After an interval, it "wakes up", yawns, stretches and looks around.
So even confused and bewildered residents can easily signal "Don't look now" and get a clear, unambiguous non-verbal response.
Available in Teddy Bear, Rabbit, Koala, Mugwai, Monkey and Velociraptor.-- 8th of 7, Sep 22 2016 I dunno, [8th]. I think if they're sufficiently gaga that they can only deal with a cuddly toy, you're into a different game.
What would be better is a dog, is what. Care-home residents should each have a dog - preferably an elderly one adopted from a rescue centre. The dog can bark if there's a problem. Probably inconvenient for the staff, but much better for the inmates.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 22 2016 // if they're sufficiently gaga that they can only deal with a cuddly toy, you're into a different game. //
MPs have secretaries to act as minders.
// Care-home residents should each have a dog - preferably an elderly one //
But what about the smell, the farting, the bits of food strewn around, the pools of urine on the floor ?-- 8th of 7, Sep 22 2016 Sorry the animals will just have to endure those just as the nursing staff currently do.-- RayfordSteele, Sep 22 2016 RayfordS. The set up and the slam dunk! I think it would be a marvel. People use baby monitors and cameras for elderly infirmed.-- dentworth, Sep 22 2016 That's OK in a home environment. In residential care, issues around privacy are a bit more complicated.
Yes, care staff can simply go into the resident's room at any time and see what's going on. But 24/7 CCTV surveillance ?-- 8th of 7, Sep 23 2016 As often happens with 8th's ideas I envision a scifi: this a TV show in the style of Outer Limits.
1. Nanny introduced. 2. All expect creepy nanny bot to go berserk and kill. 3. Creepy nanny bot acts plenty creepy. 4. Creepy nanny bot fends off unsuspected even creepier threat. 5. Viewers are feeling good about nanny bot. 6. Nanny bot wants to be worshipped and is forming oldsters into a cult.-- bungston, Sep 23 2016 // forming oldsters into a cult //
Assimilating, actually... oh, whoops...-- 8th of 7, Sep 23 2016 The mic is a nice touch. Perhaps fluffy, er, fuzzy logic could interpret certain audible cues such as "oh, shit!", "help!" and "uhhhh....." <thud> and summon assistance. Bun [+]-- whatrock, Sep 23 2016 //RayfordS. The set up and the slam dunk!//
Yes, [8th] and [RayfordS] are a natural team - like Freddie Starr and Ginger Rogers.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 23 2016 Freddie Mercury and Will Rogers, shirley ?-- 8th of 7, Sep 24 2016 nice, I like your attentiveness to user interface, otherwise it would be somewhere between an adertisement I saw for "OC and stiggs" and an aibo.
make it have the capability of one of those statuette (bluetooth?) things that activates video game levels, I forgot what they are called, anyway you bring the thing near you when you eat and take medications, then it superenergizes with happy energy like a tamagotchi. so the less firm persons are doing it a favor when they live efficaciously-- beanangel, Sep 24 2016 I mean no disrespect to old people, but there comes a point in some people's lives where an unexpected bullet to the base of the skull would be better for everyone. I, at least, have no intention of ageing; if some kind soul would care to do the honours if I find myself geriatric, I promise not to press charges.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 24 2016 It's really weird, but at the Memory Care center where I work with Alzheimer's residents, the residents are, for the most part, unusually happy, for a relatively good part of the day.
It's the younger, much less flexible family members, who have such a horrific time of it. Their perceptions of their loved ones are really difficult to change. They always want things to stay the same, or to reverse to a different stage in their life. Whereas the elderly, the diseased, just take pleasure in the moment, however that moment shows up.
Hence I say, it's not getting old that is so destructive, and cruel, it's unrealistic expectations, modified and propagated by the media, and upheld by those younger and more deeply rooted in fixed beliefs of what SHOULD be, than a certain age group, or generalization of such.
End of sermon.-- blissmiss, Sep 24 2016 Hey, as long as I'm happy, save the bullet. I could care less about how others perceive me. However, I have seen a reasonable sampling of old, miserable people.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 24 2016 [mb] you might be amused, or concerned. There are a bunch of longevity technologies (beauty technology: topical liposomal metformin) I could put up at the .5b (now to find the ones I think are easiest to make)-- beanangel, Sep 24 2016 Yes yes. I have a list of (currently) 43 pharmaceuticals and/or proteins which have shown anti-ageing effects in mammals; probably 10% of these would actually work out in humans. Topical liposome metformin is not one of them.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 24 2016 Fred Rogers and Ginger Minj, perhaps?-- RayfordSteele, Sep 25 2016 Very well. An inflatable orchid; in the north-west reading room; by the third underpantryman.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Sep 25 2016 Tempted to tack on "gods" in between "Elder" and "care."-- not_morrison_rm, Sep 25 2016 We could do a cuddly Cthulhu version, or maybe a Wilbur Whatley ...-- 8th of 7, Sep 26 2016 random, halfbakery