Helping the elderly and autistic young in Marbella Spain

THERE are currently more than 50 million people with dementia globally and it is statistically proven that the population is increasingly aging.

Attention processes need, increasingly, more support that should not only be limited to those provided by other people.

 Incorporating technological advances into these attention processes represents an opportunity to be more efficient and achieve better results.

Japanese engineer Takanori Shibata (Chief Senior Research Scientist, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan) and C.E.O. of Asturhealth (innovative solutions in health, distributor of NUKA therapeutic robotics tool) and Rafael Martínez Permuy, will present the therapeutic robot NUKA at the facilities of the CK LA QUINTA residential centre in San Pedro Alcantara on Tuesday January 21.

The creator of this therapeutic robot, graduated in Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, devised his creature in 1993. Today there are more than 5,000 spread over more than thirty countries.

They are used in dementia treatments and for people affected by autism or Down’s syndrome.

The NUKA smart device is a breakthrough in supporting care programs.

As an example, Takanori points out that in the case of people affected by NUKA dementias “it reduces pain, agitation, ambulation and the risk of falls that it entails”

“In chemotherapy and aphasia treatments its results have also been proven favourable.”

NUKA seeks to apply “animal interaction techniques with different groups of people”, among which he cites “older people with or without dementias, people with disabilities or hospitalized children”.

“NUKA, known worldwide as PARO (from the English acronym Personal Assistant Robot), is currently used as support for therapies in more than 30 countries.”

The robot reacts, thanks to a set of sensors and mechanisms, to stimuli received from the people with whom it interacts and has a daytime rhythm of morning, afternoon and night.

The pet is active during the day and falls asleep at night.

This little baby seal measures half a metre in length and weighs about two kilograms, moves like a real pet and is endearing to the eye and touch.

 It creates to significant reduction in the level of stress of people in a naturally and without medication.

“NUKA incorporates five types of sensors: touch, light, auditory, temperature, and position, with which it can detect people and their environment”

It is proven that:

• Reduces both blood pressure and muscle.
• Reduces the need for medication (anxiolytics, tranquilizers).
• Improves the relationship between caregivers and patients and between the patients themselves.
• Increase self-esteem.