05 Mar Would you consider a robot for your special needs loved one?
In our ongoing quest to find high tech solutions or gadgets that will assist, simplify, or improve the level of safety and care provided to our special needs son, Kevin, it recently dawned on me that I needed to think much bigger.
Why continue trying out various point solutions that introduce ongoing maintenance and operational challenges, or even worse, barely solve just one problem?
I’ve concluded it’s time to get more in tune with the possibilities AI and robotics has to offer.
Getting personal to express a point
Some of you might read this article and feel I’ve gotten a bit too personal by sharing sensitive information about Kevin’s habits and needs.
Please know I do this in many of my articles for two reasons; one is that it might relate to some individuals in our audience, and hopefully benefit their special needs loved one. And secondly, that someone reading this might come forward and offer a solution that benefited them and might benefit Kevin. I’ve learned so much from our amazing audience over the past four years.
In either case, I promote information sharing so those in need can collaborate and advocate for better solutions to help improve lives.
My forty years in Information Technology have taught me that to achieve big things, first you must dream it.
What exactly is available today?
I see robots available for purchase that range from $100, all the way to $60,000. The low cost models do not typically resemble humans(humanoids). Furthermore, these lower cost, low end robots are simply not an option for Kevin. Most, if not all, seem to be designed as more of a novelty companion (think robot-dog). Furthermore, they require input and direction from the user.
Given our Kevin is mostly nonverbal, he needs the exact opposite; someone who can provide him input and direction.
The very high end, high-cost robots are often resemble humans, but seem to have a similar operational model, which requires the user to direct the robot to perform duties such as carrying bags or boxes, or cleaning a floor, for example.
With the capability of AI, sensors, and cameras, I would think it would be simple enough to program a robot to understand everything they need to know about my son; and then through sensors and cameras, observe his behavior and actions and provide appropriate direction and input that would guide Kevin through his day in a productive and safe manner.
Limited solutions have left me hungry for better
Despite Kevin’s communication difficulties, he is quite capable of understanding and following simple instructions.
However, he needs constant reminders and supervision throughout his day to complete tasks such as making the bed, showering, and getting dressed. It is also key to help keep him on task and focused on things he likes to do, such as coloring in his adult coloring books or playing word search games on his iPad. We not only need to direct him to do these activities, but we also need to supervise him as he tends to become quickly disinterested or distracted.
Other high-tech and low-tech options have fallen short
Kevin has several other needs where I thought a tech solution might be helpful.
One example is the constant need to ensure Kevin stays hydrated. Being sure that Kevin drinks enough fluids throughout the day is something important for Kevin, as he has dealt with the pain and suffering from kidney stones since 2017. One common cause of kidney stones is dehydration.
For the average person, this doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? Just drink more often! For Kevin, however, he’d go hours sometimes without drinking if left unsupervised. He needs constant reminders to drink, even though we keep his glass full and within easy reach.
I figured a drink cup that prompted him to drink on a regular basis would be the answer. However, most of them on the market have visual cues, where lights start blinking on the cup, which serve as a reminder to take a sip.
This won’t work for Kevin. He needs verbal cues!
I eventually found and purchased a plastic cup that had prerecorded prompts to remind someone to drink. It offered a few different timing intervals, as well as an option to record your own voice to use as the reminder prompt.
This cup turned out to be a useless, overpriced ($50) piece of junk. It barely held 10 ounces of fluids, and the audio and volume levels were so weak and mediocre quality, you could barely hear or understand it.
Alexa to the rescue?
My next thought was to utilize Alexa. After all, we have two or three of them around the house that have served us in various, but basic ways.
I quickly discovered there are limitations when you use the reminder function within Alexa. I couldn’t set 15-minute interval reminders over an extended period of time. There are limits currently.
And although it might be possible to utilize Alexa as a reminder assistant to prompt Kevin to do other tasks, like brushing teeth, showering, etc., it falls far short of my vision regarding usefulness for Kevin’s needs.
Preparing for a future when Ruth and I are no longer here for Kevin
A robot that can perform like I described earlier would not only benefit Kevin, but it would also benefit Ruth and I as his full-time caregivers. This might sound a bit selfish but having a robot sooner rather than later would give Ruth and I a much-needed break from time to time. Being in the latter half of our 60’s, it isn’t always easy to be ‘at the ready’ for Kevin’s ongoing needs.
Our energy level doesn’t quite match his at this stage in life. It sure would be nice to have an assistant to help Kevin get his day started.
But the big goal here is the long-term benefit. As we continue to plan for Kevin’s future without us, he will eventually live in a group home or a larger long-term care facility. In either case, having a robot already ‘trained’ and experienced with Kevin would help ease that transition.
Addressing the professional caregiver shortage
Even today, it is difficult to attract and retain health care workers, in-home and group home staff, and other caregiver providers. It is a difficult job that unfortunately doesn’t pay well.
I suspect this problem will become exponentially worse as our population ages and special needs individuals remain vulnerable. Worker shortages will become an even larger issue.
Perhaps robots will prove to be a reliable and safe option for the future.
Kevin’s needs are ripe for a robot assistant
In addition to what I’ve already covered earlier regarding a robot prompting Kevin throughout his day, there are so many other benefits and possibilities.
The key is that the robot needs to observe, sense, and react accordingly to Kevin’s actions (or lack of).
Daily Hygiene: We’ve already covered that for the most part. The key is that the robot will not just remind and prompt Kevin to do something, it’s that they’ll observe how well Kevin is performing those tasks. ” Kevin, you didn’t brush your teeth very well. Let’s do it again.” “Kevin, you didn’t rinse your hair very well, do it again.”
Bathroom monitoring: Sometimes Kevin will go hours without urinating, which is not good for his ongoing kidney stone concerns. On the flip side, sometimes Kevin will go in the bathroom too frequently (like every 10minutes) or sometimes sit in there for way too long.
A robot should be able to monitor and respond accordingly, depending on the situation. “Kevin, it’s time to go to the bathroom.” “Kevin, you’ve been in there long enough. You need to come out!”
Daily activities: As discussed earlier, a robot can not only prompt and encourage Kevin to do the things he enjoys, such as coloring and word search games, it can monitor and redirect him if necessary. “Kevin, you should try using another color pencil instead of using the same color on the page.” “Kevin, stop drawing squares!” Kevin tends to drift off and start drawing squares in his coloring book pages. It drives his mother crazy as she often must redirect him to stay on task.
Mood monitor: I think it would be great if the robot could sense and monitor Kevin’s moods and intervene when necessary to calm him or entertain him. If Kevin starts to get a bit wound up, calming words, or even calming music helps reset his mood to a better place.
And when the mood is right, Kevin enjoys a wide genre of music from the music library I continue to build on Amazon Music. He and I sing along to our music playlist for hours on end whether we’re boating on a warm sunny day or stuck at home on a cold, wintery afternoon.
Seems this is something his robot could tee up at that right moment, especially in the future when I’m no longer here to enjoy these moments together.
Sleep monitor: Nighttime in the Koss household can be long and adventurous. Too often there is no rhyme or reason for Kevin’s erratic sleep habits. Since he can’t express what might be bothering him, we are left to guess. Sometimes we think it’s a bathroom type issue (we won’t get into the details here!), and sometimes his mind is simply racing and he can’t relax.
No matter the issue, suffice to say Ruth or I (more Ruth than me admittingly) get up frequently throughout the night to check in on Kevin and try and get him relaxed to fall asleep. Melatonin helps sometimes, and sometimes not. Soft, soothing music sometimes helps too.
In either case, a robot could monitor his sleep, attempt to calm him, or alert us if necessary.
Not intended to replace socialization
Everything covered here is geared toward addressing needs while within the home, as Kevin goes about his daily life. A robot was not meant to be utilized outside the home, at least not initially.
Today, Kevin enjoys the outdoors, whether it’s walking, working out, golfing, boating in Michigan, swimming. or listening to live outdoor bands when we’re down in Florida. He also participates at some of the many special needs social clubs when he’s in the right mood.
It is important that these physical and social activities remain a highlight and important part of his day.
Get a service dog you might say?
We’ve often thought about the benefits of a service dog for Kevin. Our oldest granddaughter has promoted the idea for quite some time. After all, Kevin could benefit from the companionship, as well as some of the other needs the right dog could address.
There’s one large problem with the idea; Kevin is not particularly fond of most dogs! He gets a bit startled and uncomfortable around most. And besides, unless that dog learned to talk and take care of itself, the benefits would likely be minimal.
Obstacles need to be addressed
Putting aside some of the environmental obstacles such as in-home design to accommodate a robot, there are other unique challenges.
For our Kevin, and most any other user, the robot itself would require lots of thought and customization on the front end of the design. Compatibility and acceptance by the user is critical.
What the robot looks and sounds like will take some time to be tested and fitted to each user. As I mentioned earlier, Kevin is freaked out by many types of dogs; it will take time to determine a robot appearance and voice that is comforting, not frightening.
And above all, safety is #1. Every possible danger point and use case must be identified, thoroughly tested, and mitigated beyond a doubt.
I’m learning that network reliability and bandwidth are just two of many major challenges. Just a one second glitch in network connectivity or a sudden bandwidth performance issue can cause bad things to happen (or not happen) in a robots reaction.
Where do we go from here?
My hope is that further research will lead me to an eager robotics developer that is seriously interested in partnering. I think Kevin’s needs would make a great use case and we’d be happy to participate in proof of concepts and testing.
Maybe the right solution is already out there, or close to being market ready.
For now, ChatGPT is my friend
In the meanwhile, I continue to learn more about ChatGPT, as I utilize it to prepare for a day when a robot will be available for Kevin.
Recently, I have begun feeding ChatGPT information regarding Kevin. His medical diagnosis and history, his behavioral habits and quirks, his likes and dislikes, and just about anything else that comes to mind.
ChatGPT stores and remembers everything you input, and over time builds a pretty extensive profile.
Soon, I will likely upgrade to a paid subscription, as the “free” version has use limitations. I want to start attaching and uploading documents to it; medical records, guardianship docs, and our Special Needs Trust, along with any other document that might be helpful to assist Kevin’s future caregivers, doctors or estate trustee (his older brother).
I recently uploaded a PDF file from Kevin’s PCP patient portal that contained medical history from his last 8 years of PCP visits and testing. It was 90 pages long. ChatGPT summarized it in less than one minute. Amazing!
All this ingested info will be useful to eventually feed his robot. The combination of AI and a robot with sensors and cameras will make this vision possible. Fed with enough detail regarding Kevin’s profile, this technology will learn, adapt, and improve upon ways to serve Kevin’s basic needs.
Stay tuned for a future article that will share more detail regarding my use of ChatGPT, and how you might consider using it in this manner as well.
Do you see a robot as an opportunity to help your special needs son or daughter, now or in the future? As always, I’d love to hear from our audience. I can be reached at mike@kevadvotech.com or post to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kevadvotech/