ElliQ is a surprisingly helpful companion robot for older adults

"A week before the ElliQ robot arrived, a neurologist told me we need to rebalance my mom's life. Her Parkinson's disease medication had steadily become less effective over the previous month, and with it, she had slowly stopped doing many of the things crucial to managing the disease - exercising, socializing, and engaging in hobbies. The result was a rapid, noticeable decline. As my mom's primary caregiver, I was open to any help I could get. And surprisingly, ElliQ did help in a way I never expected."

"Before increasing her medication dosage again - something that can come with serious side effects - her doctor wanted us to see whether lifestyle changes could help reduce the frequency of her "off" periods: stretches during the day when Parkinson's symptoms temporarily worsen as the medication's effectiveness fluctuates and begins to wear off."

"The problem was that, for weeks, my mom - who lives with me - resisted nearly all of my attempts to encourage her to do those things. Even the caregivers who help out during the day while I work had little success."

"Developed by Intuition Robotics, ElliQ is a companion robot for older adults that consists of a small animatronic robotic head that lights up and moves alongside an attached tablet display"

A neurologist recommended rebalancing a Parkinson’s patient’s life because medication had become less effective, leading to reduced exercise, socializing, and hobbies and a rapid decline. Before increasing medication dosage, the doctor sought lifestyle changes to reduce the frequency of “off” periods when symptoms worsen as medication wears off. The patient resisted encouragement for weeks, and even daytime caregivers struggled to help. A companion robot, ElliQ, was tried for a week. ElliQ is designed for older adults and uses a small animatronic robotic head that moves and lights up alongside an attached tablet display, providing support that the caregiver did not expect to work.

Read at The Verge