Hee Rin Lee of Michigan State University, United States, has joined The 8th Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology (AGen2022) on the panel for “Helping Hands: Robotic Assistance in Supporting and Maintaining Social Interactions with Elders”.
Keith W. Miller of the University of Missouri – St. Louis, United States, and James W. McNally of the University of Michigan & NACDA Program on Aging, United States, have also been chosen to discuss this topic. Additional panellists will be announced over the coming weeks. Follow the conference website and social media pages (Facebook / Twitter) for more information.
To participate in AGen2022 as an audience member, please register for the conference.
Speaker Biography
Hee Rin Lee
Michigan State University, United States
Dr Hee Rin Lee is an assistant professor in the Department of Media & Information at Michigan State University, United States working in the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Lee's work addresses problems beyond the efficiency and functionality that are often prioritised in the advancement of robotics. Lee designs and evaluates robots for social good with the aim of empowering socially marginalised groups, including people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, racial minorities, and older adults. This work will strengthen the autonomy of marginalised people in society to bring about positive social change. As an expert in community-based participatory design within the field of robotics, Dr Lee adopted community health approaches to explore health issues as a holistic experience that requires environmental support within the broader community. Throughout her research career, she has built long-term relationships with community centres and co-designed robots with individuals with various health issues (e.g., depression, dementia). Lee's research has yielded Best Paper nominations at premier Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) conferences including HRI, UbiComp, CSCW and CHI. Lee has served on technical program committees for ACM/IEEE HRI and the ACM Participatory Design Conference.
Abstract
Helping Hands: Robotic Assistance in Supporting and Maintaining Social Interactions with Elders
The use of robotic assistive devices in nursing homes, residential facilities, and homebound elders has rapidly increased as technology has improved. Researchers have argued that robotics will play a significant role in the coming decades. Lifelike animals provide visual and physical stimuli to impaired elders. Still, more advanced technology now allows robotics to provide communication support, reminders, and the ability to interact with family members and offer eldercare virtually. Alternatively, some care advocates have expressed concern that robotics will become a substitute for in-person interactions between elders, family members, and support networks. There are also concerns that the extensive use of robotics may negatively impact the quality of care received by the individual from residential providers. This panel will offer an authoritative discussion of the positive uses of robotics in supporting and supplementing the care of homebound, disabled, or cognitively impaired elders. While recognizing the potential risk of abuse if robotics becomes a substitute for care, the panel will emphasize how robotics can improve the emotional health of elders and best practices to ensure that robotics represents a supplemental tool to improve the overall quality of life of the older population.
