Abstract
BackgroundThe rate of aging in Korea is extremely fast compared to major countries. We examined the key demands of community-dwelling older adults with regard to Connected Active Space technology, which provides tailored assistance with daily living performance through robotic services.MethodsThis study is based on a mixed-method design, through a quantitative survey (n = 234) first phase, followed by a qualitative study with focus group interviews (n = 23) to explore the needs and acceptance of community-dwelling aged people concerning the application of robot technology in their daily lives.ResultsThe scores concerning the need for and acceptance of robot services to assist daily living performance were high, at 7.2 and 7.9 out of 10 points, respectively. Further, for both needs and acceptance, timely reaction to emergency situations, early detection of emergency situations, help to locate objects, assistance with mobility, and assistance in memory recall were prioritized (in that order). In a thematic analysis of qualitative data from three focus-group interviews, a ‘mismatch between desires and functional capacity’ was the core characteristic of living as an older person and ‘being a friend and helper’ was the most desired trait of a robot service.ConclusionAlthough most of the participants lived independently, they regularly experienced difficulties regarding buying products, transportation, using phones, and preparing meals. If appropriate assistance technology is developed, this population can maintain its independence. Thus, it is necessary to address main needs, including detecting and addressing emergency situations, locating objects, assisting mobility and memory recall, and assisting with daily living performance. New robot services that can be tailored to the functions or abilities of the elderly must be developed based on individually collected information.
Highlights
The rate of aging in Korea is extremely fast compared to major countries
We showed them three video clips that described an old man living with a humanoid robot named Pepper that provides assistance in the home, an old woman suffering from cognitive disorders who was living with Paro, an emotional therapeutic robot in the form of an animal, and a middle-aged patient with a stroke who wears an exoskeleton device for climbing stairs
The results consisted of quantitative data and qualitative data
Summary
We examined the key demands of community-dwelling older adults with regard to Connected Active Space technology, which provides tailored assistance with daily living performance through robotic services. In Korea, population aging is accelerating at an unprecedented rate. The prevalence rate of chronic diseases among the elderly, which reflects their health conditions, is 88.5%, and when daily living assistance is considered, dependent seniors account for 49.7% of the total senior population [1]. It is critically important to mitigate the effects of aging, improve older adult’s life, and improve overall quality of health environment. Smart aging addressed those challenges by intelligently utilizing modern biomedical, digital healthcare, computing, and communication technologies [3]. It is necessary to identify the characteristics and needs of the elderly as service consumers and to use these to develop advanced service technologies that support elderly people’s daily living in a manner that conforms with their various needs and to both their health and their illnesses
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