Robots help Metro Vancouver long-term care residents connect with loved ones
Global News
Right now, there are 10 prototype "telepresence" robots at four long-term care facilities in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.
After many months of an isolating pandemic, some long-term care residents in Metro Vancouver are reconnecting with loved ones with help from robots.
The devices, called “telepresence” robots, prop up iPads so residents can chat with friends and family virtually, without having to hold or operate the iPads themselves.
The idea, said UBC CHÉOS Research Associate Dr. Lillian Hung, is to provide a seamless communication experience for older adults — particularly those who have struggled with mobility, memory or technology during COVID-19.
“During the pandemic, we hear families that they get 10 minutes a week,” explained Hung, who launched the three-year project.
“With technology they could connect and they don’t even get that 10 minutes — sometimes they were able to log on, but the iPad wasn’t facing the residents.”
Using the robots, family members can book a time slot, and using an app, drive the robot to the bedside of their loved one, or to their lunch table, and visit in real time.
When they’re done, the robot goes back to its charging station and the resident doesn’t have to do anything.
Right now, there are 10 prototype telepresence robots in four care homes in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Hung and Jim Mann, study co-lead and patient partner, will observe their impact on social isolation over a three-year period.
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