Designing a Social Robot to Support Older Adult Homecare: Qualitative Study of Testing Results (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Social robots may be a solution to the growing number of older adults and thus the demand in homecare. Previous work shows good acceptability for robotic tools in homecare. The Guardian project associates a social robot, used by the senior, with an application to be used by caregivers. OBJECTIVE The objective of this testing phase was to assess whether the social robot and the Guardian system would be helpful and well accepted within the real conditions of a homecare environment. METHODS The Guardian system was tested in a real-life homecare environment during an early testing phase. Data was gathered through questionnaires and comments formulated by the participants. 30 participants were recruited across Italy, the Netherland and Switzerland: 10 older adults, 10 formal caregivers, and 10 informal caregivers. The collected data was then analyzed through thematic and qualitative method. RESULTS The results of this test show that users were ready to accept robotic solutions into a homecare environment but expectations are high. Most users found the Guardian system easy to use, but it appears older adults’ expectations were not met regarding helpfulness in everyday tasks. Caregivers saw some benefit in using Guardian to facilitate cooperation between caregivers but found human-robot interaction and application functionalities limited. Comments were formulated regarding multiple themes: shared information, company, user experience, interaction, accessibility, and safety. The most common comment was that users want vocal commands for an easier and more natural interaction with the robot. CONCLUSIONS Social robotics may very well be a relevant field to explore regarding homecare but users' expectations are growing fast. In this regard, accessibility is key and must remain a primary focus when considering tool development for older adults.