Sherry Turkle is a professor at MIT who views artificial intelligence and technology through a sociological and psychological lens. In the first half of her most recent book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less from Each Other,  Turkle addresses the impact of technology on older adults. Technology advances such as robotics and assistive technology are making headway in society, especially in elder care. These new technologies can provide some comfort or care for older adults with chronic diseases. Turkle’s focus, however, is on the substitution of robots for human interaction and the emotional aspect of care performed by another human being.

Turkle conducts experiments where she brings different types of robotic technology such as AIBO, My Real Baby, and Paro the Seal into nursing homes. These robotics provide companionship and not practical assistance. For instance, many older adults began speaking to their robots, going over important life…

By now, most have heard about the migrant crisis, where around 1 million people migrated to Europe due to war, persecution, and other unfortunate circumstances. Many efforts to provide aid and support have focused on children, which is typical of most disaster and emergency responses. This is appropriate for the situation in Europe as children and unaccompanied minors comprise around 25 percent of migrants.

But what about the older migrants? Are they also receiving quality, targeted, and culturally sensitive care?

In disaster and emergency response, older adults have distinct needs that many relief organizations are ill-equipped to address. In fact, there is clear evidence that older people are often overlooked, neglected, or even abandoned. The main issues that such migrants face are health effects, housing issues, and pension challenges, which are significantly worse when compared to native groups of the same age. In addition to the psychological issues of…

Precious, a woman who looks well beyond her sixty-six years of age, sits in her yard in rural Zimbabwe watching over her three grandchildren, ages four, six and seven. “Gogo, gogo!” the youngest one beckons his grandmother, as he chases after his older siblings who are in search of guava fruits. Precious’ son, Michael, left for South Africa for work shortly after he married Mary, a girl from the same village. Michael contracted HIV in South Africa and transmitted it to Mary during one of his visits back home. While Michael was able to access antiretroviral drugs and continues to generate a small livelihood – a portion of which he sends from South Africa to Zimbabwe every few months – Mary died from AIDS shortly after the birth of her third child. Michael and Mary’s three children are now under the full-time care of Precious. [1]

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