Perspectives from unpaid carers on socially assistive robot interactions in older adult care

Gul, Aisha ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6278-8046, Turner, Liam ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4877-5289 and Fuentes Toro, Carolina ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0871-939X 2024. Perspectives from unpaid carers on socially assistive robot interactions in older adult care. Presented at: 16th International Conference on Social Robotics +AI, Odense, Denmark, 23-26 October 2024.

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Abstract

With the global population aging, there is a growing need for innovative assistive technologies to support unpaid carers in maintaining older adults’ quality of life. Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) offer a potential solution by assisting with daily tasks, providing companionship, and easing the unpaid carers’ burden. For successful integration, SARs must deliver personalised interactions that implicitly promote supporting the needs of both carers and older adults. We conducted a qualitative study with 15 unpaid carers who interacted with a Pepper robot to understand the perception of unpaid carers towards using SARs as an assistive tool for providing care to older adults. Thematic analysis revealed concerns about the lack of human touch, the role of SARs as assistants rather than replacements, and the potential of robots for companionship. Carers also expressed distrust in technology, lack of confidence in machine capabilities, and safety concerns. From these findings, we propose that future research studies consider the collective set of dyadic interactions as a triad between unpaid carers, older adults, and SARs in order to further investigate and design personalised care.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Computer Science & Informatics
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 September 2024
Last Modified:	08 Nov 2024 11:32
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/172200

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