Dementia Caregivers of the Future: A Socially Assistive Robot as your Nurse?
Summary
Due to ageing populations, overcrowded nursing homes, and staff shortages, taking care of elderly people is among the major challenges currently faced. Considering that dementia is one of the major causes of dependency among older people, the applicability of technology in this sector is explored widely. Specifically, Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) are put to use to support daily activities and provide company for elderly people with dementia. This study investigated whether these SARs improve the independency of elderly dementia patients. Dementia and two types of SARs were introduced, after which interviews and experiments with these SARs were scored with the Individually Prioritized Problem Assessment (IPPA). The IPPA scores demonstrated that the difficulties that arise in activities of daily living were improved by using a SAR. Hence, the results indicated that SARs do improve the independency of elderly people with dementia. However, these robots could be of more assistance when more future advancements are implemented.