D.L. Stewart: Caring for parents meets remote possibilities

Contact this columnist at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com.

When Mom and Dad become too old to care for themselves — but not quite ready to be put on an ice floe to drift off to sea — technology envisions a promising solution.

Drones.

Those little flying thingees best known for dropping bombs on our enemies in the Middle East may one day be flitting around in seniors facilities all over America. In conjunction with robots, they could be caring for our increasing percentage of elderly persons — which I formerly believed referred to anyone over the age of 55, although I now have raised the figure to 97.

That, at least, is the prediction of a University of Illinois roboticist, who says her vision was inspired by the Disney movie “Cinderella.”

“If you remember, Cinderella was being helped by mice and birds,” Dr. Naira Hovakimyan explained in an article posted by the school’s Coordinated Science Lab. “So, we thought that if Cinderella could be helped by mice and birds, then ground robots and drones can help the elderly in their daily lives and secure independent aging at residences for longer periods.”

As the article explained, “through a very user-friendly interface of a smart phone or a tablet, an elderly person may get his/her medication reminder. With the push of a button, a miniature drone could fly to the shelf to retrieve the medication and serve it on a mobile ground robot to the patient.”

In a separate interview, Dr. Hovakimyan declared, “I’m convinced that within 20 years drones will be today’s cellphones.”

The prospect of sharing the highways with drivers who not only are yakking on their cellphones but also have drones buzzing around them certainly is exciting. And caring for our parents by remote control definitely would free us to go on about our busy lives. We might not even have to see them at all. Technology already enables us to keep in contact through telephone and Internet devices. Under development is an Internet-connected tabletop robot with a screen that displays a robotic face to serve as their “friend.”

For both parents and their children, freedom would be gained. But I wonder about the price.

My 95-year-old mother-in-law lives by herself at an independent living center. My wife calls her every day. Four or five times a week we get together. We have a drink. We sit down for dinner. We share memories, frequently the very same memories we shared the night before. But I know she looks forward to those evenings, and I don’t think all the technology in the world can replace them.

At least not until there’s a robot that can mix her favorite gin and tonic.

And a drone that can deliver it.

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