NCT03823066

Experience With a Robot for Home Care and Its Acceptance by People With Dementia, Caregivers and Dementia Trainers

Experience With a Socially Assistive Robot for Home Care and Its Acceptance by People With Dementia, Caregivers and Dementia Trainers. A Mixed-method Intervention Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 12 (actual)
• Sponsor: Medical University of Graz · Academic / Other
• Sex: —
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Background: Dementia rates are increasing worldwide and consequently burden global healthcare resources to a serious degree. However, there is a declining number of caregivers to provide care. It is for this reason that many new technologies, such as socially assistive robots, have been developed because of their potential to support caregivers in promoting the independence of people with dementia. Most of the (socially assistive) robots have so far been tested for people without dementia in mainly laboratory or institutional settings, like nursing homes. Consequently, there is a lack of knowledge about the possible uses of robots from the perspective of those affected by dementia in real-life/care situations (e.g. at home). Testing in a laboratory setting cannot capture the complexity and high variability of everyday situations occurring during the care of persons with dementia. Methods The design is a mixed method intervention study of a refined socially assistive humanoid robot. In total, three people with dementia, three relatives, three dementia trainers and three professional caregivers were included in the study. Quantitative data of technology acceptance were collected using the "Technology Usage Inventory". Qualitative data (main focus: experiences with the robot and handling the robot) were collected by means of observation and qualitative interviews. Movement data of people with dementia were collected by means of the eye camera of the robot. This study helps to further refine and test a socially assistive robot for people with dementia living at home.

Conditions

• Dementia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Coach Pepper	Robot Peppers's height is 1.20 meters and it weighs 28 kilograms. Pepper will be called Coach Pepper, because it is connected, via web interfaces, with a theratainment app including cognitive and physical training

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-08-22
• Primary completion: 2018-09-18
• Completion: 2018-09-18
• First posted: 2019-01-30
• Last updated: 2019-01-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Austria