Mary Rooke Commentary and Analysis Writer
For most of recorded history, families handled elder care without question. But our modern world has forgotten the parts that make us human. So much so that a top columnist for The Washington Post is suggesting it’s acceptable to replace human contact with robots in an area of life we need humans the most.
It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Leana Wen’s background that she would praise the benefits of using robots to combat loneliness among seniors in her Washington Post column. However, if you have never heard of her, it’s important to understand that this is not her first foray into anti-humanism.
Wen is a Chinese immigrant who became a successful doctor in the U.S. She became the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood in 2018, but was ousted just 8 months later. She rose to national fame during the pandemic, appearing on every mainstream media show willing to platform her to push for overreaching, authoritarian policies to deal with COVID-19. She framed getting the vaccine as a civic duty. She pushed aggressive restrictions and mandates until as late as 2022, when her public advice shifted, along with that of every other left-wing commentator.
Pushing robots on seniors is actually very in line with an abortion advocate who promoted COVID hysteria. Still, that doesn’t make what Wen is saying any less of a possibility that our society might adapt. So, we must push against it.
“A lot of people who interact with Abi on a daily basis actually refer to her as they would a grandchild who’s walking through the door,” Grace Brown, head of Andromeda Robotics, told Dr. Leana S. Wen. https://t.co/PgdHUKlqSO pic.twitter.com/s8qLySr4lc
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) April 12, 2026
The issue of isolation among older adults is a real problem that needs to be addressed. In the U.S, 40 percent of adults age 45 and older report feeling lonely, according to AARP’s 2025 study. That figure has risen from 35 percent in earlier surveys. Among those in their sixties, the rate reached 41 percent in 2025, up from 32 percent in 2010. (Sign up for Mary Rooke’s weekly newsletter here!)
These numbers reflect real human suffering. Yet the cause is not some inevitable feature of aging. It stems from decisions that pull families apart. And the responsibility for fixing this breakdown lies in families reclaiming their role as caregivers for their most vulnerable members.
Robots in senior care represent a fundamental shift away from what families have always done for one another. Older adults require direct, ongoing interaction with people who know them and care about them personally. It is impossible to recreate this interaction by using machines. In fact, even suggesting it could signals a broader breakdown in how our society values the most vulnerable among us.
But what upsets me the most is that it seems Wen and most others have given up on the idea that we should expect more of each other. Families have carried the responsibility of looking after their elderly members for centuries. It’s an important part of closing the generational family circle. It’s only recently that it has become socially acceptable to place seniors in facilities outside of the family home.
Whether humans or robots staff the facility is not really the point. We’ve replaced our personal accountability to family with the “easier” option, but obviously not the right one. The issue with using robots to combat loneliness is simply a natural progression of our society no longer viewing seniors as worthy of human dignity and love. It’s a crutch to excuse away the depressing reality that families are willing to outsource the way humans are supposed to care for one another. (ROOKE: Apple Hunter Story Reminds Us How Badly We Need To Protect Our Heritage)
Families are supposed to willingly show sacrificial love. Parents provide care for their children when they are completely dependent on them for survival. Then there is a period where both parent and child are independent, and neither is required to provide care. But this is short-lived before the parent then becomes dependent on their child. This is a natural and beautiful cycle that promotes human flourishing at all stages.
These acts bind generations.
Robots perform the motions without the cost or the benefit. They do not grow tired, frustrated, or fulfilled. They do not experience the reciprocal relationship that reminds you of your own future vulnerability. When families push off that role entirely, they lose opportunities to practice the very obligations that strengthen society.
Our children need to see us caring for our parents. Their entire sense of right and wrong stems from our example. If we are so willing to shun our responsibility to provide care to our aging and vulnerable parents, we are teaching them how we want them to treat us. Don’t be shocked one day if you wake up to your humanoid robot, Carl, asking if you want breakfast. This is the fate for those who don’t care.
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