Caregivers’ Requirements for In-Home Robotic Agent for Supporting Community-Living Elderly Subjects With Cognitive Impairment
By Faucounau, Veronique; Wu, Ya-Huei; Boulay, Melodie; Maestrutti, Marina; Rigaud, Anne-Sophie; QuoVADis Project; Technology and Health Care, Volume 17, Number 1, pages 33-40Publication Date: 2009
Paper reports the results of a survey of caregivers of seniors regarding functions and modes of action to be integrated into a robot that supports their proxy at home. Survey respondents were 13 female and 15 male caregivers of seniors, of whom 90 percent were family members and more than half lived with their proxy. Cognitive and daily stimulations were essential needs reported by respondents, followed by encouragement to communicate, and the possibility to leave their proxy alone without anxiety. Regarding the robot’s functions, cognitive stimulation and safeguarding functions such as fall detection and automatic alerts collected the greatest number of positive responses, followed by medication reminders, abnormal position detection, and panic attack detection. Voice output was chosen by over 73 percent of respondents as the best way to inform the senior of a programmed event. A majority, or over 63 percent, of respondents found it appropriate that the robot follow the person into the bedroom. In case of emergency, the emergency rescue service should be informed first, followed by the family. In such a situation over 73 percent of caregivers would like to be informed via a voiced message. Abnormal sounds or noises that should be detected by the robot were moans, indicated by about 73 percent, and then screams, according to about 53 percent of respondents. Remote control of the robot by a health professional in case of emergency was preferred by over 93 percent of caregivers. Sixty percent of respondents found it valuable to have the possibility of switching off the robot.
Published by: IOS Press (Website:http://www.iospress.nl)
Link to text: http://iospress.metapress.com/content/d785n57277381869/fulltext.html
