Robots in Eldercare: How Does a Real-World Interaction with the Machine Influence the Perceptions of Older People?

(1) Background: Using autonomous social robots in selected areas of care for community-dwelling older adults is one of the promising approaches to address the problem of the widening care gap. We posed the question of whether a possibility to interact with the technology to be used had an impact on the scores given by the respondents in various domains of needs and requirements for social robots to be deployed in care for older individuals. (2) Methods: During the study, the opinions of older people (65+; n = 113; with no severe cognitive impairment) living in six social care institutions about a robot in care for older people were collected twice using the Users' Needs, Requirements and Abilities Questionnaire (UNRAQ): after seeing a photo of the robot only and after a 90−150 min interaction with the TIAGo robot. (3) Results: Mean total scores for both assistive and social functions were higher after the interaction (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between opinion changes in social and assistive functions (r = 0.4842; p = 0.0000). (4) Conclusions: Preimplementation studies and assessments should include the possibility to interact with the robot to provide its future users with a clear idea of the technology and facilitate necessary customisations of the machine.

Occupational Therapy Students' Perceptions of the Role of Robots in the Care for Older People Living in the Community.

BACKGROUND: The question arises how recent developments in robotics can contribute to the care for older people. The study is part of the EU-funded ENRICHME project. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY: The aim of the study was to investigate opinions of occupational therapy students (OTS), as future professional caregivers, on the use of robots in care for older people. METHODS: It included 26 OTS from Poznan University of Medical Sciences. To collect data, the Users' Needs, Requirements, and Abilities Questionnaire (UNRAQ) was developed. FINDINGS: OTS perceived the robot as "a useful device" and "an assistant" rather than "a companion" (p < 0.01). In their opinion, the most important functions of the robot were related to health aspects (emergency alarms, health parameters monitoring, physical activity and memory training, and reminders about medication, drinks, etc.), scored positively by 23-26 OTS. Functions such as mood detection, encouraging to contact with friends, and monitoring of food consumption were accepted by 16-17 OTS. Two statements concerning social functions (accompanying in everyday activities and decreasing the sense of loneliness) were rated positively by less the than half of the participants. LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: A module concerning technology use, including robotics, should constitute an important part of the curricula of both academic and continuous education of OTS.

[Health resistance and its consequences for health education and promotion]. / "Opór zdrowotny" i jego konsekwencje dla edukacji i promocji zdrowia.

This paper presents analyses and discusses the phenomenon of 'health resistance' in health education and health promotion settings. The metaanalysis was used. British and American articles and books, published in the last ten years, were the materials. In particular, the concept of 'health resistance' is defined and its affinity with the psychological reactance theory is described. Finally, strategies and methods of reducing 'health resistance' in health education and health promotion are presented.