Can AI address the social health crisis in aged care?
The aged care sector is facing a crisis—one not just of funding and workforce shortages, but of loneliness and social isolation among residents. Aged care homes across Australia are struggling to meet the social needs of older people, with research showing that up to 61% of residents report prolonged loneliness and over 40% experience social isolation.
The 2021 Royal Commission into Aged Care exposed widespread neglect, and in the years since, little has changed.
The role of AI in aged care
Dr Barbara Barbosa Neves, a researcher at the University of Sydney, has spent years investigating how technology—particularly artificial intelligence (AI)—is being integrated into aged care, and whether it is truly improving the lives of residents.
“Loneliness is the worst thing in the world,” says one aged care resident interviewed in Dr Barbosa Neves’ research. “I feel unwanted, abandoned, forgotten. I cry myself to sleep.”
These heartbreaking testimonies reflect a growing public health emergency. The U.S. Surgeon General recently highlighted the severe health impacts of loneliness, linking it to higher risks of stroke, depression, and cognitive decline. Studies show that loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 40%, regardless of background or genetic predisposition.
Older people are rarely involved in designing these systems, they’re missing from the datasets used to train AI, and they’re left out of decisions about how these technologies are implemented.
Dr Barbara Barbosa-Neves
“Older people are rarely involved in designing these systems, they’re missing from the datasets used to train AI, and they’re left out of decisions about how these technologies are implemented.”Dr Barbara Barbosa-Neves
AI as a quick fix – or a greater risk?
In response, governments and aged care providers are looking for solutions, and AI is increasingly being promoted as a quick fix. From robotic companions to chatbots designed for social interaction, AI is being introduced as a way to combat isolation and support an overstretched workforce.
But according to Dr Barbosa Neves, these technologies may be doing more harm than good.
“Our research demonstrates that AI in aged care often reinforces ageist stereotypes,” she explains. “Older people are rarely involved in designing these systems, they’re missing from the datasets used to train AI, and they’re left out of decisions about how these technologies are implemented.”
The problem is not just exclusion—it’s the way AI is designed. Many of these technologies assume that all older people are passive, disengaged, or resistant to technology. When aged care staff implement AI with these assumptions in mind, they risk deepening the very isolation they aim to reduce.
“The result is AI that marginalises older people rather than empowering them,” says Dr Barbosa Neves. “Without critical oversight, these technologies can amplify age-related biases and limit meaningful social care.”
Aged care workers interviewed for her research express similar concerns. Already overworked, many feel that AI tools add more pressure by requiring additional oversight, troubleshooting, and resident assistance. But their biggest fear is that AI could dehumanise care, replacing essential human connections with automated interactions.
“Technology can complement care,” Dr Barbosa Neves acknowledges, “but it cannot fix the systemic underfunding and neglect driving the social health crisis in aged care. Worse, when built on flawed, ageist assumptions, these tools risk deepening exclusion rather than addressing it.”
The path forward: AI that enhances human care
However, AI can still play a positive role—if designed and implemented the right way. That means including older people in the development process, recognising their diverse needs and perspectives, and ensuring AI enhances, rather than replaces, human care.
“For AI to truly support aged care, we must shift our perspective on ageing—not as a problem to be ‘fixed’ by technology, but as an opportunity to build a society that values dignity, connection, and social justice at every stage of life.”
Dr Barbosa Neves’ research calls for a more thoughtful approach—one that moves beyond techno-solutionism, the belief that AI alone can solve complex social issues. Instead, she argues for AI that genuinely enhances social relationships, empowers older people, and is designed with inclusion and collaboration at its core.
“Will we design AI that fosters real social connection for older people? Or will we allow stereotypes to shape their future—and ours?”
As Australia continues to grapple with the challenges of aged care, these questions have never been more urgent. The answer lies not in quick technological fixes, but in rethinking how we care for and include older people in our society.
