Today, experts agree that it’s better for older people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. With a little bit of extra support, many seniors can remain in the comfort of their long-time house or apartment rather than moving in with a relative or to a care home.

However, it’s not always easy to get that extra support in place. If family members don’t live nearby, for example, it can be tricky for them to coordinate stopping by the older person’s home to check on them.

That’s why scientists believe that robotic care assistants for seniors hold so much promise. Socially assistive robots can step in and take over a number of different tasks to help seniors to live more safely and happily on their own.

And this isn’t science fiction. Robotic care assistants are at the cutting edge of senior care right now. So join us as we explore what these handy robots can do and why they have great potential for improving older people’s lives.

What is a socially assistive robot for seniors?

A socially assistive robot or robotic care assistant can be a human-sized robot or a smaller one. Either way, they typically imitate the form of either a person or an animal.

What could a robotic care assistant or socially assistive robot do?

Robots could be useful in performing a range of tasks to help seniors, such as …

Companionship

When we talk about health supports for seniors, we may sometimes forget the importance of companionship and socialisation. But these elements can be crucial to wellbeing.

Yet they’re especially challenging when it comes to older people with dementia, who may not be able to hold a typical conversation because they may forget things or return to the same topic over and over.

A robotic care assistant with AI technology, such as the Humanizing robot, could help by simply talking with a senior who has dementia and providing reassurance and friendship.

Similarly, animal-like robots can also be useful to provide pet-like companionship to seniors with dementia who can’t care for a living pet. For example, in 2024, a care home in Lancashire tested out robotic dogs and cats as artificial companions for older people with dementia.

Reminders

Sometimes, a key part of a carer’s job is making sure a senior remembers to do things and follow a healthy schedule. A carer might need to remind an older person to take medication, to eat if they have a low appetite, or to get ready for a family member’s wedding.

AI robots that are designed to offer this type of support are being tested in the UK in 2025. So, they’re not science fiction at all – and they could soon become a daily reality for many older people.

Illness detection and health monitoring

When you have a robot performing these daily reminder functions, you also have a crucial source of information about the older person it’s supporting.

If the senior routinely isn’t eating on time or is showing other signs that something isn’t right, the robot could contact a family member or health professional and raise a flag about potential problems. The robot might notice that the senior is being less active than usual, for example, which could be a key indication of a medical condition that needs to be addressed.

Performing daily life tasks and mobility assistance

Could a robotic care assistant help with more physical support as well, like cooking, cleaning or helping with mobility?

Yes, socially assistive robots are being designed to do these kinds of tasks.

A bear-shaped, human-sized robot called Robear was introduced by Japanese inventors in 2015. It was intended primarily for lifting seniors who have mobility issues. Another robot called Hug was also introduced in Japan to provide lifting assistance.

Neither of these robots has become widely used – yet. But lifting robots will likely continue to receive attention from developers because repeatedly lifting people can be painful and physically damaging for human caregivers, even with the use of lifting aids.

As for daily home tasks like cleaning or providing food, robots designed for these functions have been tested in care homes and group living settings. Robots have been used to serve food and even sing Happy Birthday to residents at a retirement living community in Pennsylvania, USA.

Why might we opt for robotic care assistants?

There are lots of potential benefits to getting these types of support from robots.

Dementia help

It’s easy to see that a lot of these robots could be well suited for dementia care. That’s because caring for a person with dementia can be emotionally challenging for human carers who have to answer the same questions repeatedly or provide constant reassurance. Handing some of these conversations over to an AI could help prevent carer burnout in the loved ones of a senior who has dementia.

The daily reminders that could be offered by an assistant robot also have great potential for helping older people who have dementia or who are growing forgetful due to other factors, such as medication side effects.

Carer shortages

Caring for seniors can be a tough job, and there are shortages of carers available. In care homes and group care settings, robotic care assistants could take on some of the repetitive, basic tasks of caring, leaving the more complex tasks to human carers.

As we’ve mentioned, lifting robots could also ease the physical strain of caring. And that could potentially open up the field of caring to workers who could perform other job tasks but aren’t capable of lifting and carrying adults.

Questions to tackle

There’s no doubt that robotic care assistants could change the game when it comes to elderly care. And some early tests have already shown what they can do. But there are some wrinkles that will need to be ironed out before these helpful robots become common sights in care settings and older people’s homes.

Privacy

There’s always a balance to be struck between convenience and the protection of privacy. And that’s just as true when it comes to robotic care assistants. On one hand, we’ve already seen how great it could be to have a robot in an older person’s home that’s constantly monitoring their health and activities. But on the other hand, that could be seen as an invasion of privacy – especially if all the data about the elderly person is saved in a location where others could access it.

In 2025, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers made a call for greater attention to matters like privacy concerns as engineers develop robot assistants for wide use.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is another worry that the Institution of Mechanical Engineers mentioned. Having a robot with a range of abilities inside a senior’s home opens up a realm of concerns – what happens if the robot gets hacked? This is a matter that definitely needs careful consideration.

Practicality

In 2023, the MIT Technology Review discussed the implementation of care robots in Japan and asked the question – why isn’t this technology yet widely used? This article identified instances where robots were tested in elderly care settings in Japan but weren’t successful. Sometimes, human care home workers said that using the robots was time-consuming and actually created more work for them.

Hopefully, repeated tests can help us to adapt and refine robot designs so that they’re as convenient as possible for everyone involved with them – including seniors and human care professionals.

Turn to SureSafe today to get protection for seniors living alone

Not ready to get a robotic care assistant quite yet? Not to worry – you can still get a simple, easy-to-use device that provides protection and peace of mind for older people.

A personal alarm for the elderly from SureSafe won’t cook meals or help an older person get out of bed. But it will provide crucial support in emergencies by offering a way to call for help when no-one else is around. Choose a talking pendant or a wrist alarm, and you or your older loved one will have a way to call for help that’s within reach even when the nearest phone is up on a tabletop or rooms away.

A one-touch SOS button makes calling for help fast and easy during falls or medical crises. Automatic fall detection offers a backup layer of protection – the alarm will call for help if it believes it has sensed a fall, even if the wearer is unable to press the SOS button. And GPS tracking allows helpers to locate and assist seniors as soon as possible if emergencies strike if they’re away from home.

So, if you are worried about the safety of an older person who’s alone all or just some of the time, take steps now so that they’re not without help during a fall or other emergency. If you'd like to chat with us about what our personal alarms can do, our expert team is here for you! Just call us on 0808 189 1670, reach out via our live chat or request a call back.