Evaluation of combining daytime structure, lifestyle-monitoring and social companionship in socially assistive robots for gerontechnology
B. M. Hofstede, T. R. C. van Hoesel, S. I. Askari, I. S. Lelieveld, I. Bierhoff, L. de Witte, H. H. Nap
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AbstractIn recent years, robots have more frequently been implemented in care for older adults (Na et al., 2023). Care robots can serve different purposes, for example providing social, physical, or medical assistance (Bouwhuis, 2016). Socially assistive robots (SARs) support in activities of daily living and/or providing social companionship (Abdi et al., 2018). In practice many SARs also have a physical or medical assistive function. However, as noted by Vercelli et al. (2018), the majority of SARs aid users in maintaining daytime structure, such as reminding them to take medication or suggesting activities for a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, the research of Casaccia et al. (2019) showed promising results for integrating SARs with lifestyle monitoring devices, resulting in better aligned advices by the robot and more accurate measurement of ADL of older adults. In addition, the review of Vercelli et al. (2018) showed that robot pets and dolls are, in healthcare, often used as psychotherapeutic tools to improve the emotional state of users, acting as a form of social companionship. Lifestyle-monitoring devices, robot pets and devices for daytime structure have their specific stage in the dementia process in which they can be best implemented (Ipakchian Askari et al., 2024). The earlier stages are suggested for daytime structure and lifestyle monitoring, while robot pets are suggested to be used in later stages. By integrating the three components, a SAR can be used for a longer progression of the disease. Furthermore, when SARs are used for a longer period of time end-users tend to build a social connection with them (Reeves and Nass, 1996). Hence, a SAR that integrates the three components can improve the potential of SARs. An example of such an integration is the Hyodol robot, developed in South Korea. In this study, we assess Hyodol's potential in Dutch care context. The results can be used in future development of SARs that integrate daytime structure, lifestyle monitoring and social companionship in one SAR. We introduce this new type of care robots as cuddly and socially assistive robots (CSARs).Keywords: cuddly robot, people with dementia, socially assistive robot, daytime structure, social companionship
B. M. Hofstede, T. R. C. van Hoesel, S. I. Askari, I. S. Lelieveld, I. Bierhoff, L. de Witte, H. H. Nap (2024). Evaluation of combining daytime structure, lifestyle-monitoring and social companionship in socially assistive robots for gerontechnology. Gerontechnology, 23(2), 1-1
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2024.23.s.888.opp