[ExI] Low birth rate, Ageing populations - what to do?

[spike at rainier66.com]

Thanks BillK, cool!

 

I have a few comments, which I will intersperse and end with sj so you will know it is me, not artificial intelligence.  Think about that last comment for a minute or two, sheesh.  Then read on please.

 

 

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of BillK via extropy-chat



Question -

Can you describe how AI can assist the over-80 age group? 

Discuss presently available and near-future concepts in AI, robots, and assistive devices… BillK

 

GLM 5.2 AI Deep Think Max:

Assisting the over-80 demographic requires a nuanced approach. This age group faces a "perfect storm" of challenges: physical frailty, higher rates of cognitive decline (like dementia and Alzheimer's), sensory impairment, and a shrinking social circle…

 

Two of his closest friends, one being his driver and logistics person, perished since Easter 2026.  sj

 

 

The goal of technology in this space is not to replace human caregivers…

Hmmm, human caregivers are expensive as all hell.  Replacing them is a goal.  sj

 

  _____  


1. Cognitive and Emotional Support


Presently Available:

*	Voice-First Companions: Devices like Amazon Echo and Google Nest are already vital for seniors. They provide medication reminders, read audiobooks, and offer a voice-activated interface that doesn't require navigating small touchscreens….

 

Already doing that.  Audiobooks have been a thing for years, and now Gemini is a good sports trivia conversationalist.  sj

 

*	Robotic Pets: Ageless Innovation’s "Joy For All" robotic cats and dogs respond to touch and sound. They have been shown to reduce anxiety and agitation in seniors with dementia without the responsibilities, allergies, or tripping hazards of real pets…

We had lunch with a former colleague and mentor last week.  She is 80.  She isn’t in a nursing home, but she has friends who are in there.  She was bringing a robocat to the facility.  She reports that some of the residents don’t realize it is a robot.  The thing that gives it away is the fur.  A cat grooms itself.  The robocat gets oils from hands and looks kinda ratty until it is laboriously groomed.  A short-haired robodog might work better.  sj

 

 

 

*	Digital Photo Frames with AI: …

Are those cool or what?  I have 8 of them going right now.  My FIL has five.  Great technology.  sj

 

 

Near-Future Concepts:

*	Large Language Model (LLM) Companions: The next generation of AI assistants (like a specialized version of ChatGPT) will possess long-term memory and contextual empathy. An AI companion could ask an 85-year-old about their childhood, remember the details, and bring it up days later. This provides continuous cognitive stimulation and combats the epidemic of loneliness, which is physically as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day…

Yesterday for the first time, I saw one of the AIs I experiment with (Duck AI) claim that one could turn on long term memory.  You need an account to do that, and I didn’t start one, but it is on my list of things to do.  sj

 

*	Augmented Reality (AR) Memory Glasses: For those with early-stage dementia, AR glasses could use facial recognition to display the name and relationship of a person walking into the room. They could also overlay text on objects (e.g., labeling a kitchen faucet "Hot" and "Cold") to help seniors navigate their homes safely…

This was our recent topic of discussion.  My former college roommate was visiting about five years ago.  He and his bride were using augmented reality glasses to play Pokemon Go.  I don’t know where the tech has gone since then, but tech only improves.  That’s something I really love about technology.  As I suck more and more, it just keeps sucking less.  sj

 

 

 


2. Health Monitoring and Fall Prevention


Presently Available:

*	Wearable Fall Detectors: Devices like the Apple Watch or specialized pendants can detect the sudden acceleration of a fall and automatically call emergency services if the user is unresponsive….

We are doing both a watch and a pendant for my FIL.  The biggest challenge is false alarms so far.  sj

 

*	Telehealth AI Triage: AI systems used in senior living facilities can analyze a resident's voice during a telehealth call to detect signs of stroke, depression, or cognitive decline based on speech patterns and pauses…

We have a system which monitors weight, pulse rate and sleep patterns.  He also has a telemetry-enabled blood pressure monitor, but that one requires his twice a day action on his part.  sj 

 

 

 

Near-Future Concepts:

*	Ambient Passive Monitoring (No Wearables): The over-80 group often forgets to wear or charge devices. …

Roger that.  But ambient passive devices, cool!  sj

 

 

 

*	Smart Insoles: AI-powered shoe inserts equipped with micro-sensors can analyze foot pressure distribution in real-time. …

Cool!  sj

 

 


3. Physical Assistance and Daily Living


Presently Available:

*	Automated Pill Dispensers: Devices like Hero hold multiple medications, dispense the right pills at the right time, flash lights, and sound alarms. If the pills aren't taken, the AI system texts a family member….

I have been thinking of this for some time.  You have seen the nifty new milligram weight scales that don’t cost much:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ESHDGOI/?_encoding=UTF8 <https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ESHDGOI/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_plhdr=t&aaxitk=7ae16560eeacf31f07936bac4d24d09a&hsa_cr_id=0&qid=1785170269&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124&i=aps&aref=qdl9R2fIbY&ref_=sbx__sbtcd_asin_0_img&pd_rd_w=MOnIu&content-id=amzn1.sym.2fb72bc8-96ef-420d-b08f-c04b69f36507%3Aamzn1.sym.2fb72bc8-96ef-420d-b08f-c04b69f36507&pf_rd_p=2fb72bc8-96ef-420d-b08f-c04b69f36507&pf_rd_r=SAYN8TNT0K7GQ8AHV66H&pd_rd_wg=LcBZd&pd_rd_r=14fed2fd-05a3-4edc-9695-e5b80aab6b4f> &pd_rd_plhdr=t&aaxitk=7ae16560eeacf31f07936bac4d24d09a&hsa_cr_id=0&qid=1785170269&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124&i=aps&aref=qdl9R2fIbY&ref_=sbx__sbtcd_asin_0_img&pd_rd_w=MOnIu&content-id=amzn1.sym.2fb72bc8-96ef-420d-b08f-c04b69f36507%3Aamzn1.sym.2fb72bc8-96ef-420d-b08f-c04b69f36507&pf_rd_p=2fb72bc8-96ef-420d-b08f-c04b69f36507&pf_rd_r=SAYN8TNT0K7GQ8AHV66H&pd_rd_wg=LcBZd&pd_rd_r=14fed2fd-05a3-4edc-9695-e5b80aab6b4f

I have one of these, and they work.  It comes with calibration weights so you can prove it.  OK so now imagine a row of these with pill bottles, where the bottles have RFID and a weight scale.  The device tells the prole: Judy, eat two pills from bottle A.  (She does, replaces bottle.)  No Judy, you took three.  Put one back.  OK good.  Now take one pill from bottle C…  The machine tells the patient which bottle, when to take and how many.  sj

 

*	Basic Navigation Robots: Robot vacuums (like Roomba) have evolved to include mapping technology. While mostly for cleaning, this same AI mapping tech is being adapted into motorized wheelchairs to navigate tight apartment corners autonomously…

Used a Roomba for the first time recently at an AirBnB.  Maybe on this one.  sj

 

 

Near-Future Concepts:

*	Soft Exoskeletons: …

I’ll look into it.  sj

 

 

*	Autonomous Care Robots: Japan is leading the charge here due to its severe demographic crisis. …

Sounds cool.  We are lucky to have Japan and South Korea, high tech societies with a worse demographic crisis than the USA to scout that territory for us.  Those two outfits have fewer plausible solutions as well (they will not be importing young Mexican workers into either Japan or South Korea any time soon.  sj

 

 


4. Sensory Restoration and Interface


Presently Available:

*	AI Hearing Aids: Modern hearing aids from companies like Starkey or Oticon use AI to isolate human speech from background noise in real-time. Some can even detect if the wearer falls and translate languages instantly…

Cool!  Not currently needed for us: he is nearly blind but hears pretty well.  sj

 

*	Screen Readers and Magnification: AI-driven optical character recognition (OCR) allows visually impaired seniors to point a smartphone camera at a piece of mail and have it read aloud in a natural voice…

We are doing this currently.  It works.  sj

 

 

Near-Future Concepts:

*	…


The Ethical Balance


While these technologies are miraculous, implementing them for the over-80 group requires extreme sensitivity…

Bah, humbug.  Sensitivity is for sissies.  We have the TECHNOLOGY!  sj

 

>…The primary risk is the "illusion of care." A robot can remind a senior to take their medication, and an AI can converse with them about the weather, but they cannot replace the warmth of a human hand…

We can deal.  A humanoid robot with hand warmers.  Hell my CAR has a heated steering wheel.  We can do warmth of a humanoid hand.

I write stuff like that, then sometimes I stop and thank evolution that I am not my own son in law.  sj

>…the shared silence of a friend sitting nearby, or the intuitive understanding a human nurse has when a patient is hiding their pain…

I am confident we can program artificial empathy.  We have already successfully programmed artificial sexual arousal.  Of course the market for that is much bigger, and the software development a lot more fun.  But artificial empathy will likely happen too.  sj

>…The ultimate goal of these AI and robotic interventions is to handle the logistics of ageing—medication timing, physical lifting, fall monitoring, and basic conversation—so that the shrinking pool of human caregivers can spend their limited time providing the deep, empathetic connection that only humans can offer.

They were doing so well, right up until the last sentence.  I predict that eventually AI will surpass humans in deep, empathetic emotional artificial human connections.  Granted it might produce new problems.  Go to visit, grandpa says: I am with my robo-sweetheart, you kids fuck off.  

 

If that ever happens, we have succeeded.  Grandpa is lost to us, but at least he is happy.

 

sj

 

 

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