Assessing the Acceptability of a Humanoid Robot for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Care Using an Online Survey
This addresses the need for assistive technology in dementia care, but it is incremental as it primarily reports survey results without introducing new methods or interventions.
The study assessed the acceptability of humanoid robots for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias care via an online survey with 631 respondents, finding positive attitudes among patients, caregivers, and the general public, with top desired functions including medication reminders, emergency calls, and medical service contact.
In this work, an online survey was used to understand the acceptability of humanoid robots and users' needs in using these robots to assist with care among people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), their family caregivers, health care professionals, and the general public. From November 12, 2020 to March 13, 2021, a total of 631 complete responses were collected, including 80 responses from people with mild cognitive impairment or ADRD, 245 responses from caregivers and health care professionals, and 306 responses from the general public. Overall, people with ADRD, caregivers, and the general public showed positive attitudes towards using the robot to assist with care for people with ADRD. The top three functions of robots required by the group of people with ADRD were reminders to take medicine, emergency call service, and helping contact medical services. Additional comments, suggestions, and concerns provided by caregivers and the general public are also discussed.