The role of a socially assistive robot in enabling older adults with mild cognitive impairment to cope with the measures of the COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, mandatory containment measures led to lockdowns and severely diminished social interaction, with older adults being one vulnerable group. Socially assistive robots (SARs) could prove to be an effective intervention. OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with a SAR during the first lockdown in Belgium. METHODS: Inductive thematic analysis was used. After a two-week interaction period with robot James®, semi-structured interviews were conducted. RESULTS: Four people were interviewed (median: 86 years; range: 70-90 years; 2 men, 2 women). Four themes were identified. The first theme described the robot as a companion, alleviating feelings of loneliness and social isolation. The second theme explored the robot in light of meaningful activity. The third theme detailed the technical aspects of the robot and the fourth theme described notable barriers and areas of improvement. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated the potential of SARs during the first lockdown period in Belgium. The robot proved to be promising in terms of alleviating feelings of loneliness and social isolation. It was found to be both motivating and facilitating in terms of meaningful activity. SIGNIFICANCE: The study provided valuable insights for the care of lonely and occupationally deprived older adults.

The perspectives of older adults with mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers on the use of socially assistive robots in healthcare: exploring factors that influence attitude in a pre-implementation stage.

BACKGROUND: Due to increasing age and an increasing prevalence rate of neurocognitive disorders such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia, independent living may become challenging. The use of socially assistive robots (SARs) is one solution that can enable older adults with cognitive impairment to remain independent. However, at present, there is a lack of knowledge about the attitudes of older adults with MCI and their caregivers towards SARs. METHODS: This study relies on a constructivist grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain a deeper insight into attitudes of two different stakeholder groups; older adults with MCI and their (in)formal caregivers. RESULTS: Forty individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with older adults with MCI (N = 30) and (in)formal caregivers (N = 10). Data revealed different perspectives on SARs in healthcare for the involved stakeholders. Two main topics could be derived: (1) perspectives on robot assistance, discussing different viewpoints on the potential value of robots as helpers, and (2) perspectives on implementation, revealing different factors that could affect implementation. Both topics may explain a positive, impartial or negative attitude towards SARs. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified different factors that should be taken into account when implementing a SAR in the home environment of older adults. Despite the fact that the benefits of SARs are often recognized, many older participants currently seem not ready yet to commit to the use of a SAR.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study explores the attitudes towards a SAR, developed to stimulate and support older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) on a physical, cognitive and social level.The results give a deeper insight into different factors contributing to a (non-) successful implementation of SARs in the home environment of older adults with MCI.