ElliQ robotic companion
ElliQ robot. Credit: Intuition Robotics

Robots could be the answer to mitigating loneliness for seniors, according to nearly 70% of physicians polled by social platform Sermo. 

Sermo recently partnered with academic experts and interviewed more than 300 physicians across 25 countries and 40 specialties about the potential benefits of companion robots for seniors who are socially isolated. Three-quarters of respondents said they would recommend robots if the interactions were effective and adoption of the technology was positive. Approximately 70% said robots could improve the mental health of seniors and believed insurers should cover the cost of them to alleviate social isolation. 

But despite the favorable attitude towards robots, more than two-thirds of respondents warned that high-tech companions have their limitations.

“It is important to bear in mind that the goal is to not replace human to human contact but to develop robots that enhance it,” University of Auckland Psychologist Elizabeth Broadbent, PhD, cautioned in the study. 

Robotic companions and pets have been effective surrogate companions to a number of seniors. Last year, New York State Office for the Aging deployed 800 artificial intelligence-powered robots to seniors aging in place. The tabletop devices, known as ElliQ, communicate with seniors much like Amazon’s Alexa does with users. ElliQ, however, offers empathy to seniors and responds to both voice and body movement. 

The ElliQ initiative followed a similar program New York piloted in 2018 that deployed 4,000 robotic pets into seniors’ homes. That program was so successful the state provided another 17,000 robotic pets to seniors. 

Social isolation and loneliness can be lethal to older adults. Social isolation can increase a person’s risk of premature death from all causes and increases the risk of dementia by 50%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Loneliness is associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression and suicide.