Presentation
Exploring the Potential of Assistive Robots to Support Social Engagement for Older Adults
DescriptionThe aging population worldwide is rapidly increasing (Vespa, Armstrong, & Medina 2020; WHO, 2024), leading to a higher demand for effective solutions to support older adults’ health and wellbeing. One crucial component of successful aging is social engagement and sustained social connections. Assistive robots can support older adults in maintaining their independence and actively participating in meaningful social activities (Mois, Trinh, Ali, Vergara, & Rogers, 2023). This presentation will focus on the insights gathered from embedding the Stretch assistive robot into a residential life plan community to explore the potential of assistive robots to facilitate social engagement for older adults. In this mixed-methods study, we explored Stretch’s usability and acceptance for supporting older adults’ social participation through the use of video calls. Overall, participants expressed positive perceptions of the robot. The qualitative analysis revealed that participants had consistently high levels of trust in Stretch and reported low task burden when using Stretch to facilitate video calls. Thematic insights from participants’ interviews revealed older adults' desire for 1) the robot to integrate with other technologies (e.g. cell phones, hearing devices, smart doorbells, etc.); 2) delivery of timely and appropriate feedback from the robot; and 3) enhanced autonomy for repetitive tasks.
Contributors
Event Type
Industry/Practitioner Content
Lecture
TimeTuesday, October 14th11:50am - 12:10pm CDT
LocationGrand Hall L
Age and Ability
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