读者文摘:照料爸爸生活的电脑程序(6)（在线收听）

Some critics, such as Sherry Turkle, PhD, a professor of social studies, science, and technology at MIT, view roboticized eldercare as a cop-out.

一些批评人士，如麻省理工学院的博士、社会研究和科学技术教授雪莉·特克认为，机器人化老年护理是一种逃避。

"This kind of app is making us forget what we really know about what makes older people feel sustained," she says—caring interpersonal relationships.

她说：“这种应用程序让我们忘记了那些让老年人感到持续的东西——关爱的人际关系。”

For many families, though, providing long-term, in-person care is simply unsustainable.

然而，对许多家庭来说，提供长期的个人护理是不可持续的。

Between 2010 and 2030, the population of those older than 80 is projected to rise 79 percent,

从2010年到2030年，80岁以上的人口预计将增长79%，

but the number of family caregivers available is expected to increase just 1 percent.

但是家庭护理人员的数量预计只增加1%。

Among eldercare experts, there's a resignation that the demographics of an aging America will make technological solutions unavoidable.

在老年护理专家中，有一种观点认为，老龄化美国的人口结构将使技术解决方案不可避免。

Joseph Coughlin, PhD, director of MIT's AgeLab, is pragmatic.

麻省理工学院老年实验室主任——约瑟夫·考夫林博士的想法很务实。

"I would always prefer the human touch over a robot," he says.

“比起机器人，我更喜欢人的触摸，”他说。

"But if there's no human available, I would take high tech in lieu of high touch."

“但如果没有人的话，我会选择高科技来代替高接触。”