Robots: A Key to Independent Senior Living

June 23, 2025: The Growing Need for Senior Care

More people are living longer, and most want to maintain their independence as they age, staying in their own homes. However, challenges such as loneliness, physical limitations, and memory issues often hinder this goal. Physical limitations make it harder to perform daily chores, and memory issues can lead to missed appointments and forgotten medications.

The Demographic Shift

Today, these challenges are often met with the help of part-time home health aides. However, the number of seniors continues to grow. By 2050, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years old will nearly double from 12% in 2015 to 22%, according to the World Health Organization. IEEE Senior Member Ralf Ma explained, “An aging population is one of the major challenges that humanity faces. Artificial intelligence improves social productivity and fundamentally solves the problem of a decreasing labor force. Future household robots can also solve the problem of elderly care in their later years.”

Adding AI to Robotics

The idea of using robots for elder care has been discussed for years. For example, IEEE Spectrum showcased a semi-autonomous robotic table designed to help older people maintain independence by carrying things for them. As artificial intelligence advances, there is increasing interest in integrating AI with robotics. Advances in natural language processing allow people to interact with robots more naturally, similar to how they talk to smartphones and other electronic devices.

IEEE Senior Member Márcio Teixeira noted, “In the future, robots might remind seniors to take their medicine, help with daily tasks, and keep them company. They can also detect emergencies and call for help when needed, making life safer and easier for seniors.”

Monitoring Health and Safety

Robots can also monitor health using sensors and track vital changes to provide real-time emergency services. IEEE Graduate Student Member Haonan Guo said, “Caregiving robots will be able to monitor health using sensors and track vital changes to provide emergency services in real time when a problem is identified.”

A Cure for Loneliness

One hope is that robots can engage in in-depth conversations with seniors, alleviating some of the loneliness that comes with living alone. The first chatbot, Eliza, built with 200 lines of code nearly 60 years ago, was designed to simulate a therapy session. Users often formed emotional attachments to the algorithm, opening up about their problems and relationships. The evolution of chatbots has progressed significantly, and there are already several devices on the market that use generative AI to serve as conversational chatbots or emotional support robots.

While robotics isn’t yet advanced enough to have an all-in-one general-purpose robot that can handle chores and conversations, it’s only a matter of time before this becomes a reality. The integration of AI and robotics holds the promise of transforming senior care, making it more efficient and effective.

[Related: Future of AI in Healthcare]