Clinical interventions in aging
Supporting Social Engagement in Long-Term Care Through Paired Socially Assistive Robot-Virtual Reality Activities for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment and Apathy
By Migovich M, Ghosh R, Khan N and 7 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Older adults living in long-term care settings, particularly those with cognitive impairment and apathy, frequently experience reduced social engagement. Socially assistive robots and virtual reality systems may help support engagement, but little is known about whether they can sustain engagement during real-world deployment while also facilitating interaction between older adults. This study examined whether socially structured socially assistive robot-virtual reality (SAR-VR) systems could sustain engagement and support human-human interaction during repeated use in long-term care settings.
Methods
This analysis focused on the SAR-VR intervention arm of a larger eight-week study and included 60 older adults with cognitive impairment from 23 long-term care sites. Participants were exposed to two SAR-VR systems featuring different robot embodiments (dog-like and humanoid), roles, and activities. Across 756 repeated intervention sessions, engagement was observationally assessed using observed ratings of attention, activity attitude, robot attitude, and conversational targeting.