Soon after people enter old age, fear of loneliness haunts them, as most of their children or grandchildren are far away.
Keeping this thought in mind, South Korea has aimed to kill their boredom or loneliness by introducing new “robo dolls” to accompany them.
The initiative has been taken for the ‘super-aged society.’
The newly introduced ‘robo dolls’ have big smiling eyes, ears that stick around and speak with cheerful chatter of a seven-year-old.
Some of the dolls wear pink dresses with braids, while others sport blue shirts and a bow tie.
Additionally, these stuffed dolls are made up of cotton and metal and are powered by AI.
The dolls are specially deployed as a surprising answer to Korea’s elderly mental health crises.
As reported by CNN, about 10 older adults in South Korea die by suicide every single day.
A report published in the Journal of the Korean Medical Association echoes a persistent and alarming trend across East Asia.
The reports underline that places like Hong Kong and Japan have long documented elevated suicide rates among the elderly citizens.
However, the situation in South Korea is more worrisome, as the country ranks one of the highest rates in the developed world and the highest within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD nations.
A professor from University of North Carolina, Othelia E Lee who thoroughly researched ‘social isolation among older adults in South Korea,’ says, “It’s a real crisis,” as the country is classified as a “super-aged society.”
According to Lee, more than 10 million people are aged 65 or older in South Korea and they represent a fifth of the country’s population.
“We now have fewer multigenerational households and less familial support, leaving one in three South Korean seniors to live alone,” says Lee.
