In British Columbia, we are faced with an ageing population and a shortage of qualified caregivers. People who provide the care in the B.C. Care Providers Association say the province is short about 2,800 caregivers for seniors in assisted living and home health care. And it’s even worse if you include the needs of people with cognitive decline, who want to stay in their homes as long as possible.
The Association’s CEO Daniel Fontaine acknowledges that many seniors are waiting for the industry and government to get moving, to get people trained and into care homes as soon as possible. “The time for talking,” he says, “has ended, and action is needed today.”
There are many good ideas about how to address this—forgiving student loans, attracting more high school graduates, and reducing barriers for international students. But those are long-range solutions and can’t be implemented anytime soon.
It’s become an escalating problem. From 2016 to 2021, the number of persons aged 65 and older rose 18.3% to 7.0 million. By 2031, only eight years from now, close to 25 per cent of B.C.’s population will likely be at least 65 years of age. And more urgently, the number of persons aged 85 and older has doubled since 2001, reaching 861,000 in 2021.
Today’s older people are resilient, and plan on being around as long as they can. They are staying healthy, active, and involved for longer. But inevitably, as they become even older, no matter how they may resist it, they will need care. This presents a problem, since the working-age population, those who would be caring for them, (persons aged 15 to 64) is also aging. More than 1 in 5 people in this population is close to retirement, that is, aged 55 to 64. And it’s obvious that people in their sixties should not be expected to care for anyone, much less very old people with complex needs.
So, how do we solve this problem? There may be an answer if we are willing to listen.
New Age Solutions to Old Age Problems
On the horizon and growing rapidly is the emergence of artificial intelligence. If adopted in the care of older people, AI can provide better customer experience, more employee efficiency and faster application of innovation in the areas needed most.
It can keep tabs on older adults, particularly those with cognitive decline. It can help predict health risks and accidents, enable drug development, and support the personnel involved in care management. It can also track and monitor vital signs, health indicators, and cognition. And it can provide support for everyday activities. For example, sensors at the top of doors and in some rooms can monitor movements and send warning alerts to a caregiver’s phone if an older person’s normal behavior deviates – for instance if the person goes outside and doesn’t return quickly.
Hospitals and aged care facilities have started adopting AI and machine vision to detect falls and monitor pain. Camera and visual monitoring instruments may now be used to gauge pain levels in facial expressions.
A plethora of “age tech” companies have sprung up over the last few years, aiding elders and their caregivers. Their solutions are now beginning to permeate into home care, assisted living and nursing facilities. Majad Alwan, an executive director at Leading Age Center for Aging Services Technologies says, “The technology can free up human caregivers so they can be as efficient as potentially possible.”
While some people view the involvement of AI in these services with apprehension and fear, I think the benefits outweigh the risks. With so many people needing help, I feel our agencies have no choice. Currently, there are more people who need help than there are people who can help them. It is apparent that a creative solution is needed.
People at the World Health Organization, frequently leaders in emerging solutions, agree. Artificial intelligence, they say, can improve older people’s health and well-being.
The need to boost customer experience, employee efficiency and accelerate innovation are the three main factors driving an increase in AI adoption. More than 50% of information technology, business decision-makers and influencers say that customer experience is their leading driver for this. More than half of the survey participants also indicated that there is a direct correlation between AI adoption and superior business outcomes.
Will Older People use AI?
Older people may not have a choice. Many of the services and residences for older people are already incorporating AI into what they offer. A shortage of qualified caregivers can’t deliver care to an increasing number of older people, especially those with cognitive decline, who want to stay in their own homes as long as possible. Some companies have responded by developing programs that can keep tabs on them and bring them services they need.
But while there are potential benefits of the technology in terms of safety for older people and a reprieve for caregivers, some also worry about its potential harms. They raise questions around the accuracy of the systems, as well as about privacy, consent, and the kind of world we want for our elders. Though users can identify a mix of pros and cons regarding the use of AI in health and medicine, they must remain cautious in adopting it.
Many older adults are enthusiastic about using AI-enabled products, but they lack the expertise. Additionally, they worry that AI-enabled products might outwit their expectations, intrude on their privacy, or impact their decision-making skills.
A Fly in the Ointment
The data that is used to build various models and algorithms impacts the performance of the algorithm. Specific to age-related bias, older adults are the fastest growing group of individuals using technology, yet much of the data used to build AI systems is based on younger people. This in turn generates apps and technologies that are not designed for older adults, so they may not use them.
This mismatch in design and technology contributes to a lack of data from older adults, which makes their exclusion likely throughout the entire process.
Ageism is the most socially accepted bias even though age is inevitable for all of us. As the demographic of populations begins to shift, more and more older adults will be turning to technology that is not designed for them. Part of future work is to illustrate how embedded ageism is within AI and technology development and suggest ways to change that.
Hi, Diane – Thank you for this very thought-provoking and timely post. I have shared it on my social media.
I can see from your website, that AI and Chatbots are on your mind as well. I guess it’s difficult to ignore them! This is my second post about them, and I guess I should move on to something else. But they fascinate me, so I may delve into the topic again later! Thanks, RR!
This is an excellent post Diane. My book club just read “Klara and the Sun” about an AI friend for a young girl. We’re all women of a certain age, and it created a great discussion about this whole subject in our meeting. The biggest fear is that these AI’s will develop a consciousness which has been covered in some news events. That’s a scary topic. One AI told his creator to leave his wife and be with her! 🤣 Anyway, there’s great opportunity here, especially in caring for the aged. Living alone, I have a “hard fall” feature on my Apple Watch…which has been put to the test and worked very well to call for assistance. Thanks for the post.
Women of a certain age, like us, are the perfect age to be curious about what the future may bring! AI will affect us all, eventually. Think back to the first computers—never mind that, think about Henry Ford and the first drivable automobile, how it changed the world! Your reply made me laugh. What a cheeky AI bot to move in on another person’s partner! Smart girl, to have Apple watch with a ‘falling’ feature!
Lots to think about here. Although I worked in IT, and use digital technology for hours and hours every day, it seems just another avenue of out of site, out of mind isms, including agism.
I favour the idea of providing families with funds to stay home and care for their elders. In Ontario, only strangers are reimbursed to allow them time to provide care.
Yes, it appears that older people will be bypassed in the entire debate about use of AI. While they are concerned about some aspect of AI moving too fast, and invading their privacy, they must be considered in future development of AI, and in how it is applied. So far, that is not happening. Today, AI is still a younger person’s domain.
Yes, they’re going to have to do something. Great post.
Yes, since the problem of not having enough trained people to do the care is not going away.
Hi Diane, We have a similar situation in Ontario (aging population, increasing demands for eldercare and not enough care providers). I think AI is a useful option for some cases and should be taken into consideration.
I agree, Applied with care, use of AI can be a huge help in areas of great need. Nice to hear from you, Natalie!.
I think AI can be used for good and for on-so-good. This seems like it could be one of the “good” applications, as long as the creators take a holistic approach and check their ageism at the door.
Of course. There are two faces of AI. Misused, it can be scary. But until the needs of our growing older population are met with real personnel, something has to be done, and AI may fill that gap for the time being. I don’t know that its possible to control its growth, however, once it is adopted in several areas.
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