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Using a Socially Assistive Robot in a Nursing Home: Caregivers’ Expectations and Concerns

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HCI International 2021 - Posters (HCII 2021)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1420))

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Abstract

Demographic development and the resulting increase in the proportion of older adults are leading to an increase in the number of people requiring care. At the same time, the shortage of professional caregivers is worsening. Socially assistive robots (SAR) are increasingly being used to assist in the care of older adults. There is evidence of positive effects, but negative effects and ethical concerns are also reported. Therefore, at the beginning of an exploratory study in a nursing home investigating the use of the robotic cushion «Qoobo», caregivers (N = 5) were asked about their expectations and concerns. Positive expectations of the caregivers were that the robotic cushion would be more practical than the already used SAR, that it could improve mood, would be a pastime and boredom would be reduced. Negative expectations were that the robotic cushion could be boring and that it could be rejected because of its shape. Ethical concerns were mainly related to possible deception of older adults and caregivers further expected that older adults might be frightened. For the successful deployment of SAR in a nursing home and to guarantee socially acceptable use, it is important to elicit the expectations and concerns of caregivers in advance, as the fit of a SAR to nursing home residents is always individual.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Ageing Research, Rosenbergstrasse 59, 9001, St.Gallen, Switzerland

    Stephanie Lehmann, Esther Ruf & Sabina Misoch

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  1. Stephanie Lehmann
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  2. Esther Ruf
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  3. Sabina Misoch
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Correspondence to Esther Ruf .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Crete and Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Constantine Stephanidis

  2. Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Margherita Antona

  3. Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Stavroula Ntoa

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Lehmann, S., Ruf, E., Misoch, S. (2021). Using a Socially Assistive Robot in a Nursing Home: Caregivers’ Expectations and Concerns. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S. (eds) HCI International 2021 - Posters. HCII 2021. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1420. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78642-7_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78642-7_20

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