AS Malaysia moves closer towards becoming an ageing nation by 2030, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a powerful support system for caregivers in an increasingly digital world.
Experts, however, stress that its role is to enhance – not replace – the human touch that defines quality caregiving.
Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society vice president Dr Wong Teck Wee said AI can ease the growing pressure on caregivers by taking over routine tasks that often consume valuable time.
“It can significantly reduce the administrative and routine burden on caregivers by automating monitoring, medication reminders and data tracking for chronic health conditions,” he told StarEdu.
Beyond reducing workload, Sunway University School of Nursing senior lecturer Dr Lim Gek Mui said it could open doors for tech-enabled care roles, including the development of health monitoring applications by healthcare professionals themselves.
“Imagine a system where elderly patients or their caregivers input daily health updates into an app. If something unusual is detected – like a sudden drop in vital signs or an anxiety attack – the system can alert a local community nurse immediately,” she said.
However, both Lim and Wong emphasised that caregiving is fundamentally rooted in human qualities that machines cannot replicate.
“Simply put, technology cannot truly copy human empathy, the comfort of touch, ethical decision-making, or the heartfelt way a nurse guides and reassures a worried family,” Lim noted.
IMU University psychology senior lecturer Dr Teoh Gaik Kin highlighted that compassion, empathy, communication skills, emotional regulation, ethical decision-making and self-awareness form the foundation of quality care.
“Many of these qualities don’t come naturally. They grow over time, shaped by experience and human connection,” she said, adding that it is this depth of experience that keeps caregiving inherently human.
