Meaningful activities with social robots: a case of older adults

Abstract

The global population is on a trajectory toward a ‘population timebomb.’ This trend indicates a scenario in which older adults vastly outnumber younger people. In Australia, 1 in 4 people will be over 65 by 2050. This forecasts a dramatic increase in the number of older adults moving into assisted living settings and requiring care. Subsequently, this will increase the demand for healthcare professionals, whose industry is already experiencing vast shortages. The move into assisted living can be challenging for an older person. It can detach them from vital social connections such as family, and friends and disrupt their long-standing routines and meaningful daily activities. This can tarnish the quality of life for an older person by entrenching a more sedentary and socially isolated lifestyle. With advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, technological interventions in healthcare are being increasingly discussed for use among older adults. Social robots are a newer form of robotics, specifically designed for social interactions, companionship, gameplay, and entertainment.

To effectively investigate social robots as a newer health intervention among older adults, this master’s thesis takes an exploratory and qualitative approach, transitioning from adoption and use, through expert recommendation and finally to their end users. To reliably explore these dimensions, the authors conjoined the Unified Theory of Acceptance & Use of Technology (UTAUT), the Activity Theory of Aging (ATA), and Quality of Life (QOL) as defined by the World Health Organization (WHOQOL). These frameworks were used to identify what primary concepts will first; motivate an older adult to accept and use a social robot and second, if their use for meaningful activities and companionship can improve the quality of life among older adults in care settings.

The findings of this research indicate that various stakeholders in Australian health/aged care are positive and receptive toward accepting and using social robots for older adults in care settings as measured by the UTAUT model. Furthermore, QOL improvements measured by the WHOQOL such as minimising social isolation, loneliness and sedentary lifestyles could be attained by using social robot-initiated meaningful activities as an intervention in a clinical aged care setting among older adults.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Western Sydney University
Supervisor	Aila Khan (Supervisor), Michael Lwin (Supervisor) & Omar Mubin (Supervisor)