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DTSTAMP:20251016T135126Z
LOCATION:Grand Hall L
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251014T115000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251014T121000
UID:HFESAM_ASPIRE 2025_sess126_LECT354@linklings.com
SUMMARY:Exploring the Potential of Assistive Robots to Support Social Enga
 gement for Older Adults
DESCRIPTION:Veronica Falcon (University of Illinois, College of Applied He
 alth Sciences) and James Shim, Yao-Lin Tsai, Afnaan Ali, Esther Cardenas, 
 Shuoning Shi, Endiyah Terry, Melissa Kuo, Samuel A. Olatunji, Harshal P. M
 ahajan, Raksha A. Mudar, and Wendy A. Rogers (University of Illinois)\n\nT
 he aging population worldwide is rapidly increasing (Vespa, Armstrong, & M
 edina 2020; WHO, 2024), leading to a higher demand for effective solutions
  to support older adults’ health and wellbeing. One crucial component of s
 uccessful aging is social engagement and sustained social connections. Ass
 istive robots can support older adults in maintaining their independence a
 nd actively participating in meaningful social activities (Mois, Trinh, Al
 i, Vergara, & Rogers, 2023). This presentation will focus on the insights 
 gathered from embedding the Stretch assistive robot into a residential lif
 e plan community to explore the potential of assistive robots to facilitat
 e social engagement for older adults. In this mixed-methods study, we expl
 ored Stretch’s usability and acceptance for supporting older adults’ socia
 l participation through the use of video calls. Overall, participants expr
 essed positive perceptions of the robot. The qualitative analysis revealed
  that participants had consistently high levels of trust in Stretch and re
 ported low task burden when using Stretch to facilitate video calls. Thema
 tic insights from participants’ interviews revealed older adults' desire f
 or 1) the robot to integrate with other technologies (e.g. cell phones, he
 aring devices, smart doorbells, etc.); 2) delivery of timely and appropria
 te feedback from the robot; and 3) enhanced autonomy for repetitive tasks.
 \n\nTrack: Age and Ability\n\nSession Chair: Yunmei Liu (University of Lou
 isville, MIND x AI Lab)\n\n
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