 Hi, everyone, so I'm very happy to introduce Ed Hoffman and Yeah, do you want a robot in your old age? Hi everyone So this is my first emf camp which is pretty exciting It was actually more exciting than I expected when my husband said I could take any technology. I wanted and Suddenly all of my rules changed for camping The camping I knew for remote to take as little as possible Evaluate the conditions do all of that fun stuff suddenly didn't really apply and I had to start thinking about what it was I was going to do and Alongside that I'm not really a festival goer. So I've only been to a couple and That makes it kind of tricky because what do you expect then and I'm often told this is what should happen The idyllic festival Perfect right a bit like we're experiencing today How great is that? The challenge is though that I've read enough in the news to know that it can go horribly wrong and Suddenly all of the preparation you've done Can't actually surpass the catastrophe that's happened And as I was preparing for this particular weekend I Realized that actually my thought processes were no different than often yours are when it comes to aging and what we want in our older years and I'm guessing that you're in the audience thinking what I'm thinking. This isn't actually idyllic aging But actually this is often the stereotype right we get to do the things that we want the things that we've never had time to do and yet Aging is changing because now we're living up into the hundreds and you and I will likely reach that if we're lucky But aging has another image that you often see in the news which is tragedy Which is what we don't want and often what puts the fear in us Giving talks like this in environments like this. It's often fun to stay in the back of the room Just before the talk before me and watch the room just empty because who wants to talk about older age But actually the problem is is that we don't actually look at it as a festival We don't look at it as a system That actually we're aiming for an idyllic. We're aiming for something that we really want to have fun doing But it's also pitted against something that could happen that could go terribly wrong and Those systems are built on a thrive survive thrive fail model So you're looking at how can I be the most fit and have the most fun? But also recognize that there's risk and frailty at the end whether it's the festival gone wrong or aging gone wrong and So when we're looking at older age and robots and technology and what are we going to do? We're often set with where am I on this fitness to frail skates? measure and Depending on the wear and tear of general everyday life and our experiences and our genetics We kind of hope we're on the towards the fitness side of things But if we've been really hard on our bodies chances are we're not I work in a different audience I work with people older adults with complex conditions such as cognitive impairment all-timers disease and dementia and Often in those settings That's not just one condition that they're managing but multiple because they're living a full life and they have general wear and tear and That comes with a level of deterioration and What I work towards with these people and their families is Towards recovery adaptation and psychosocial growth so I'm actually looking at helping them move towards fitness and Aiming for thriving rather than just surviving which is really cool. I'm really lucky in my job The challenge then though is that when people meet me and they know that I'm in this critical space It's hard to talk to me because you certainly don't want this You want something better, but we often don't talk about the middle bit The average fun festival not the idyllic not the tragic or the average fun aging Not the idyllic or the tragic and that's where I think our sweet spot is That's where I think the spot where we need to really be talking about what kind of robots and technology Do we want as we get older? How do we design that? How do we put that on our list? How do we budget for it? So then the question is What will you want and where will you be in 30 40? 50 even 60 years from now and What resources do you want to turn to to make that life happen? That's where we stop talking because we don't really have a sense for it We often have just a couple of examples based on familial Experiences which are educational, but the likelihood is we're going to exceed them We're going to actually be living in an older age with no manual for ourselves No role modeling because we're out on our own frontier So then as we age we're looking at becoming more frail because that's life Because after 30 our bones stop being as dense as they were before Our muscle strength starts to deteriorate Partially because we're no longer keeping it in tension. We're no longer training with it We're no longer active and pushing to learn because we're now growing to be experts And now we're starting to actually conserve energy and actually spend energy in a way that we really want to target So we're saving our Energy to do something else and we're buying technology that allows us to focus our energies on things like That work that we really wanted to do or that program we really wanted to write or that idea that sparked That is actually going to stick us in a chair at a standing desk We have to start thinking a little bit differently about what's going on next Because the challenge is also faced by what our reality is and what determines our age, our healthy aging Right now we know that 50% of Our age are of our experience in aging is directed by our genetic composure composition There's nothing much we can do about that yet 40% of that Experience is determined by how we're living How what our kind of environment and behavioral changes and investment are we making and I often describe that with people is how we're fitting our genes Because we know that how we Expand energy what our physical health is what our fitness level is now is going to dictate what happens in later life How quick we are to recover from a frail moment The other bit is 10% luck or bad luck in the case of the people that I'm working with They have developed a condition that they had no choice to they didn't plan or didn't expect to do and now They're having to manage it and hope for the best that we can actually return to a fitness level that allows them to enjoy their later years This profile works for you and I What we do with the environmental and behavioral experiences are going to dictate that but also how we plan our resources So then we're left looking at that fitness and frailty model in where would we want our robots and technology to really make a difference Right now Those robots are helping in the frailest periods Those white robots are the things that we're kind of pushing the envelope with right now Where I would actually like them a robot is in the blue period those blue Rob robots are my sweet spot Because for me and my population robots are tools and They have formed a service That serves me So you have to ask yourself what service do you expect from the technology that you're planning for tomorrow and Also, does that technology need to evoke trust and safety? So putting aside the trust and security for another talk a Lot of discussions going around technology and older age have to do with whether or not that person you or I Will have a bond or relationship with that equipment So then it looks like robots today Which for me are the harp seal model the sweet baby harp seal big black eyes and white faces That take the the pressure or the distrust down so that the people who are benefiting from them Can reach out and trust them One of the reasons this effort has been put or this investment has been made is that because these robots are Actually not servicing the people. They're Supporting They're actually servicing the health provider The health provider has a goal for this robot that isn't actually my goal So then that trust has to be earned because it's not on my resource list And so my population when they look at these robots, they turn their noses up They make these really funny faces like seriously you want me to use this Why would I do this? I want a tool. They'll tell me They're adept enough to know that this isn't what sparks benefit What they want are tools that actually move them into fitness not manage frailty, which is what this is doing now So these particular robots if you're not familiar with them are geared towards therapeutics soothing Are about emotional engagement to reduce isolation so that a human doesn't have to be there a Robot that can collect you in your moments where you're bedridden and move you to another space So that a human doesn't have to do it and hurt their back These are also being moved into service spaces where they can they can be in hotels Restaurants to offer you menus and greet you Which if you think about it isn't actually what you need It's actually what the provider wants to offer you And that's a really important difference when you're planning the resources for what you want rather than those that are being delivered to you So we're back to where do you want a robot in your older age? Do you want technology? When I survey people and say do you want a robot in older life because I know this is a reality They all say immediately. No Even those people who are experts in aging science their own personal experiences now Because right now we look at robots as being alternatives for intimacy Alternatives for intimate spaces because you've grown so frail Somebody has to be in your comfort and private private areas What I would prefer is a robot that sits in a space that prevents me from doing that Prevents my parents from needing it That actually works towards things that provide a space of fitness and the ability to continue living your years as you want them to So what does that mean for me in the population? I work with When I ask them about what they want when I see what they need This is what comes up These are tools that allow them to live independently tools allow them to stay connected a Calendar is critical because if you've been retired, you know that your Monday through to Friday references disappear And no longer are you accountable to a space that tells you what day of the week it is This doesn't have anything to do with cognitive impairment. This just has to do with framework But we need a calendar to continue to connect with our communities We need a calendar to continue to connect with our medication And we need to be able to meet our health providers at times that they're given So wouldn't it be fantastic if technology included a calendar? Because also medications are crucial for older age and they're going to become even more crucial for us as health science Produces treatments that can allow us to stay fit But now we know more and more about medication needing to be actually taken at a specific time to stay in our bloodstream To allow us to perform and thrive with that medication And if you're taking up to 40 tablets a day at different times of the day in your 70s 80s and 90s It can get extremely confusing for even me The other thing that's really valuable and is actually on my list as I watch people age is Something that can help me stay as physically strong and conditioned as possible so that I'm staying in that fitness range I'm not at risk of frailty The physical strengthening conditioning for me is a physical physio robot somebody who can download the latest and greatest health science information and Then adapt it and actually apply it to me because they're recording and monitoring my movement and my strength and conditioning So that they know Edie's gate has changed in the last three weeks. It's shifted by 2% Which is an incredible way to monitor health changes. I Know now what to put in her health regime her physical fitness experience So that she can strengthen that and I can report that to a health professional in case it needs intervention And that I can keep her cardiovascular system as fit as possible given the wear and tear She's given it throughout life and She can stay in that thrive fitness mode But the reality is that not all of us are aiming for perfect bodies I'm not either But we are experiencing wear and tear Impact on our joints that either can't be replaced or is wearing as we live And so rather than a stick or a frame I'd rather have some sort of robot that I can lean into That might be the equivalent of a seeing eye dog that guides me through the things that I want to do that actually allows me to go to EMF and Enjoy the weekend into my 80s Because that's my tradition That's my people and that's where I want to continue to be and I don't want my health to get in the way of that and Lastly on my wish list is transport On my pension planning the first thing that's on the list much to the amazement of my husband is a self-drive car Because I'm an American and I've been driving since I was 16 And one of the things that matters most to me is my independence and freedom to do and meet the people I want to see Don't take that away from me But it's one of the things that often goes because they take the keys away when I develop a cognitive impairment Or I'm not able to manage the car with my reflexes the way they are in my 90s and 100s But that doesn't mean that I don't want to leave the house and continue to live an amazingly enriched life and Meet everybody else along the way Those are the things that are on my resource list Those are the things that I'm often talking to people about in the community that they miss That somehow was taken away when they weren't expecting it Hopefully I've given you an opportunity to think through a little bit about what your resource list would be What would your resource list for designing something like this could be and Maybe a little bit more of that middle ground for where we're likely to live along the way Thanks a lot for listening. Cool. Thanks. Um, we've got time for questions for anyone's got any questions And it's okay not to have questions Thanks everybody Thank you. That was a brilliant talk. Are there any robots that are sort of commercially available now that You've either seen or that you'd recommend Hmm. I think there's definitely some robots. I would invest in the next five to seven years I think the problem the challenge is though not a lot of people are in this space I'm working in a lot of people are are working in crisis spaces in the latest latest life or the latest of health resources or They're driven by what health providers say they need in order to carry on with the needs of the health Provision so we really need to be demanding something different and expecting something different along the way and talking about that I think amongst this community especially because you're going to drive those things the there isn't a robot that's under development. There's quite a bit of work going on in France right now and And It is actually looking at Walking with and supporting somebody who's quite frail So allowing them to maneuver in their home environment not necessarily outside of their home environment My goal is to actually push past those four walls Thank you. Thanks Thanks everybody. Okay. Thank you very much indeed