Will Older Adults Accept Social Robots?

By 2050, 1 in 5 Australians will be over 65 (Australian Institute for Health & Welfare, 2024). Older adults encounter a range of physical and cognitive impairments as they age (Espinel et al., 2015). Assistive technologies and meaningful activities can improve the quality of life for older adults. However, the acceptance and use of these interventions remain a prominent obstacle in clinical aged care (Shin et al., 2023). Social Robots are a newer form of assistive technology (Henschel et al., 2021) whose use among older adults is still emerging within the literature, particularly in an Australian context (Kang et al., 2023). To better explore this phenomenon, improve quality of life and understand what drives older adults to accept and use newer forms of technology, we conducted an exploratory study with a health consumer group. Early results indicate that Australia's older adults' acceptance and use of social robots may depend on several variables, including their perceptions of benefits, ease of use and technical assistance in navigating this new form of technology.