Robot and the grandparents
Over the past few weeks, the Greek public has become enraged by revelations of food served beyond its sell-by date, and dirty and cockroach-infested rooms at retirement homes… The grandmas and grandpas of our childhood, of unreserved support and understanding, of open arms, are retiring, methodically and systematically, into the underbelly of society. And, for the most part, they are doing it quietly – often even with their own consent. They perceive that they no longer have a place in the structures of modern life. The slew of infringements of health and safety standards brought to light by the Athens Prefecture’s spot checks were found at private establishments. Statements made by a high-ranking Health and Social Solidarity Ministry official on a NET TV morning show also referred to the private sector, bitterly attacking «children who keep their parents in nursing homes.» Basically then, the responsibility lies with the immediate environment of the elderly and not with the entrepreneurs, who get rich unfettered… The family is framed for being cruel and uncaring, while the establishment’s owner has the alibi of trying to cut a profit. The answer comes from a Japanese company that has designed a robot equipped to keep the elderly company. So they may live happily ever after, and we even better…
