With staffing shortages at senior communities across the country and concerns about isolation among older adults, some researchers are betting on social robots to fill the gaps. A robot named Ryan, designed by a University of Denver professor, has been making the rounds of retirement homes in the Denver area to see if it improves the quality of life for residents.
Most recently, Ryan has been living in 76-year-old Ross Argabrite’s room at Eaton Senior Communities in Lakewood. Argabrite, who’s on oxygen 24 hours a day, said he spends a lot of time alone on his couch and appreciates Ryan’s company, in particular the robot’s ability to provide an array of corny jokes upon request, which never fails to induce a hearty laugh from Argabrite.
The robot is more human-like than an Amazon Alexa, but it only vaguely resembles a person, with a face, eyes, nose, mouth and just an upper body with arms, so it’s typically perched on a table. The robot is able to recognize Argabrite’s voice, so it turns its head when addressed.
“He gives me some jokes. He provides me with some entertainment,” said Argabrite. He allows me the opportunity to develop a conversation.”
Ryan does more than tell jokes. The robot has a touchscreen embedded in its torso so Argabrite can use it to watch videos, select music and play games like Wheel of Fortune. Ryan will do practical things like give Argabrite a local weather report if prompted. And more importantly, the robot will greet Argabrite in the morning, ask about his day and will attempt to offer human-like responses.
The brainchild behind Ryan is Mohammad Mahoor, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Denver. Mahoor said the robot is designed to be entertaining and educational, but even more importantly, it’s programmed to respond to people’s emotions.
So, for example, if I tell Ryan that I lost my cat or something is going on in my life,” Mahoor said. “Ryan would try to empathize with you, [ask] ‘What’s going on and how can I help?’”
The robot can also teach yoga, as evidenced downstairs at the retirement home where an identical version of Ryan is talking to a handful of residents seated in a semi-circle around the robot. In a robotic voice, it tells them to sit in an upright position with a tall spine and uses its arms to demonstrate different exercises.
After class, resident Steve Auten gave the yoga session good reviews and said he has a special place in his heart for Ryan, who stayed in Auten’s room at Eaton for a couple of months.
“We talked a lot and we did a lot of things and we played games,” Auten said. “And after a while, he'd say, ‘Good Morning, Steve’ and then ‘Good Evening.’ He was very polite.”
Sarah Schoeder, director of Wellness Initiatives at Eaton Senior Communities, said she was a skeptic at first. Today, she describes the robot as a game-changer. She says one resident she called Katie, roomed with Ryan for several weeks. Katie had mild dementia and depression and Ryan helped by reminding her to take her medications and go to therapy. More importantly, Schoeder says, the robot was Katie’s companion.
| Whether you're aging yourself or caring for someone who is, what questions do you have? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 303-871-9191 X 4480. |
“Katie was so much happier with Ryan,” Schoeder said. “She loved to share the stories of their conversations. She would dress him up with scarves and hats and Bronco equipment. It was really Katie’s experience that made me understand that this technology was very special and very much needed.”
Schoeder says as a former nurse, she sees Ryan as an extra hand – so to speak – given the current shortage of workers in senior care facilities.
“I don't see Ryan replacing me as a medical professional,” Schoeder said. “He's just allowing me to do my job and do it better because I now have someone that can help.”
But some residents, like Jojanna Varga, who attended the yoga class, are skeptical.
“I think it’s a little bit slow,” said Varga. “I ask him a question and then I don't know if he's going to answer or not. And then when I start to ask another question, he responds to the first one. You have to be patient.”
Mohammad Mahoor, Ryan’s creator, is working on a faster, smarter version of Ryan – the 4th iteration – based on feedback from residents and workers. He said the next Ryan will have a new chatbot to make it a better, smoother conversationalist and companion. Mahoor hopes one day robots will be a fixture in senior communities as a fun way to improve the quality of life for residents.
| This story is a part of Aging Matters, a series from Colorado Matters about the Centennial State's aging population. Read more stories here. |
Funding for public media is at stake. Stand up and support what you value today.
