VOA慢速英语--New Company Puts Robots in Seniors' Homes

 

The United States will have more adults aged¹ 65 and over than children by the year 2035, the U.S. Census² Bureau³ says. The agency⁴ provides information about the U.S. population.

As the American population ages, the demand for services and care for older adults is growing.

SenCura is a company that provides non-medical at-home care for seniors in the northern Virginia area. Cliff⁵ Glier formed the company 12 years ago. He says its services include help with bathing, transportation, getting dressed and planning and preparing meals.

Hollie is one of SenCura’s professional caregivers. She visits 88-year-old Olga Robertson’s home every day for three hours. Robertson says she likes having Hollie’s help.

“Well, she cooks for me and she does a good job. She takes me to appointments and things like that and whatever I want to do. Sometimes, we go to walk in the mall if it’s cold out in the winter time.”

But when Hollie is not around, Robertson still has a caregiver -- a robot named Rudy.

“You can have a conversation with him, see. And (he's) somebody to talk to and who responds.”

ROBERTSON: Okay, Rudy.

RUDY: Are you enjoying your day?

ROBERTSON: Yes.

RUDY: That's great. Is there anything I can help you with?

Rudy also tells jokes and plays games and dances with Robertson.

In addition to keeping Robertson mentally and physically⁶ active, Rudy provides contact with emergency services 24 hours a day. He watches for lost items, reminds Robertson about her doctor’s appointments and tells her when it is time to take her medicine.

The robot is a little more than one meter tall. It has a digital screen that makes checking in with family and caregivers easy.

Robertson has introduced Rudy to her neighbors.

“I got to be kind of famous in the neighborhood because of this robot.”

The caregiver who helps caregivers

Anthony Nunez is founder⁷ of INF Robotics, the company that created Rudy. He says the idea for the robotic caregiver was inspired by what his own mother lived through when his grandmother got older.

“As I grew older, I realized we weren’t the only family facing this problem. There are thousands of families facing the same issue -- most cases even worse, where they have a loved one that they're taking care of and the cost becomes an issue. So what we wanted to do was design a robot that’s easy to use, designed specifically⁸ for seniors, but also affordable⁹.”

Nunez says new technology can help seniors age in place, or in their own homes. And it keeps them safe and cared for.

Cooperation vs. competition

SenCura’s Cliff Glier met Nunez and his team at an event more than a year ago. He became interested in introducing Rudy to his own customers.

“We're dealing¹⁰ with older adults that are typically 80, 90, 100 years old. So, this kind of technology is very new to them, so there will be some closer looks at it. People, I would say, are interested once they learn more and we have the opportunity to show them Rudy and the capabilities¹¹.”

Glier says Rudy is not competition for human caregivers. He says the robot is there to help but cannot do all the things that caregivers do, like bathe and dress seniors.

Rudy the robot adds to what in-home caregivers do for the growing population of seniors who prefer to age in place - with a little help from friends.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

senior – n. an older person, usually at least 55 years of age

bathe – v. to give a bath to someone

dress – v. to put clothes on someone

caregiver – n. a person who gives help and protection to someone, such as a child, an older person

screen – n. the usually flat part of a television or computer monitor that shows the images or text

affordable – adj. inexpensive

capability¹² – n. the ability to do something

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

3 bureau   

n.提供或收集消息的机构；局，司，处；署

参考例句：

• The weather bureau makes daily reports on weather conditions.气象局每天报告天气状况。
• The Tourist Bureau arranged everything for our journey to Rome.旅游局已为我们去罗马旅行准备了一切。

4 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

5 cliff   

n.悬崖，峭壁

参考例句：

• The cliff edge is dangerous and should be railed.崖边危险，应该用栏杆围起来。
• He took the measure of the cliff before he climbed it.他把悬崖的高度估量一下后再攀登。

6 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

7 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

8 specifically   

adv.明确地，具体地；特别地，特意

参考例句：

• The book was written specifically for children.这本书是特地为儿童编写的。
• I told you specifically not to do that.我明确地告诉你不要那样做。

9 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

12 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。