Robot deployment in long-term care

Abstract

BackgroundHealthcare systems in industrialized countries face the challenge of providing care for a growing number of elderly people. Information technology has the possibility of facilitating this process by providing support for nursing staff and improving the well-being of the elderly through a variety of support systems.ObjectiveLittle is known about the challenges that arise from the deployment of technology in care settings; however, the integration of technology into care is one of the core determinants of successful support. This article presents the challenges and options associated with the integration of technology into care using the example of a mobile robot to support physiotherapy for elderly people with cognitive impairment in the European project Spatio-Temporal Representations and Activities for Cognitive Control in Long-Term Scenarios (STRANDS).Results and discussionThis article presents the technical challenges associated with the introduction of robots in the context of care as well as the perspectives of physiotherapists involved and an overview of information and experiences gained. It is hoped that this will provide useful information for the work of researchers and practitioners wishing to integrate robotic aids into the caregiving process.

Robotic technology for palliative and supportive care: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

“…11 Furthermore, current evidence suggests robotics can support a number of communication and assistive uses for the elderly. Such uses include applications for supporting mobility, 31–34 activities of daily living, 11,32–40 physical activity tracking/monitoring, 34,41 medication management, 37,40,42 and to support (and monitor) nutrition and hydration. 32,40,43 For healthcare professionals, robots may improve the efficiency (and safety) of manual handling 44 and cleaning procedures.…”

Taxonomy of Trust-Relevant Failures and Mitigation Strategies

“…Impact. To assess the impact of individual failures, we base our assessment of a qualitative analysis in the context of the care deployment within the STRANDS project [24,33,34]. The assessment is not an exact science; within this case study we do not aim for a comprehensive analysis of this STRANDS system, but rather present the concepts of considering trust loss as a risk open to a systematic analysis.…”

Futurism in nursing: Technology, robotics and the fundamentals of care

“…There is already growing use of robotics across a range of nursing contexts, and often robotics is associated with fundamental care provision. For instance, MY SPOON robot provides feeding assistance (Banks, Willoughby, & Banks, ; Broadbent et al., ; Gerling, Hebesberger, Dondrup, Kortner, & Hanheide, ; Joranson, Pedersen, Rokstad, & Ihlebaek, ; Joranson et al., ; Robinson & Broadbent, ; Ross, ). Robot bathtubs provide automated soaping and showering for older adults in elder care (Beedholm, Frederiksen, & Lomborg, ; Beedholm, Frederiksen, Skovsgaard Frederiksen, & Lomborg, ).…”