Information Technology/Artificial
Intelligence Innovations Needed for Better
Quality of Life in Caregiving Homes
Yukiyo Ikeda, Mutsutaka Kobayakawa, Hiroshi Nakao, Fumikazu Iseki,
and Hironobu Matsushita
Abstract Among developed countries, Japan has the highest rate of aging, and the
population requiring caregiving is increasing annually, along with long-term care
service demands. Meanwhile, there are insufficient resources to maintain their longterm care insurance system, and the caregiving industry is facing managerial challenges. Thus, the government proposed a review of the long-term care insurance
system and managerial support policies to increase productivity and mitigation of the
burden of employees in caregiving homes. Recently, new care approaches utilizing
information technology, artificial intelligence, and robot technology for supporting
innovation and service in the long-term care facilities have been explored.
Robots are being experimentally introduced in caregiving settings for communication and monitoring older adults, and evidence of the results is being collected.
Whether the use of communication robots ultimately improves the users’ quality of
life is an essential question. Therefore, examining communication robots’ effects on
older adults is also underway. The introduction of more quantitative and scientific
evaluation methods, rather than methods based on an evaluator’s experience or
subjective opinion, is a challenge of this pursuit.
This research focused on how mental health care is provided to older adults with
dementia, a population that is increasing annually. We reviewed some studies of the
psychological effects of communication robots on older adults with dementia. It is
best to utilize noncontact equipment with older adults with dementia as it causes less
psychological and physical stress. In this study, we investigated the effects of a
communication robot (Pepper) on the treatment of older adults with dementia and
used the Facial Action Coding System to analyze how the older adults felt when
communicating with Pepper.
Finally, we will present perspectives concerning the main topic of interest for this
chapter: healthcare innovation for providing psychological care to caregiving home
residents and daytime care service users through the use of communication robots.
Y. Ikeda · M. Kobayakawa · H. Nakao · F. Iseki · H. Matsushita (*)
Tokyo University of Information Sciences, Chiba, Japan
e-mail: ikeyuki@rsch.tuis.ac.jp; nakao@rsch.tuis.ac.jp; iseki@rsch.tuis.ac.jp;
hm206128@rsch.tuis.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
H. Matsushita (ed.), Health Informatics, Translational Systems Sciences 24,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3781-3_3
37
Intelligence Innovations Needed for Better
Quality of Life in Caregiving Homes
Yukiyo Ikeda, Mutsutaka Kobayakawa, Hiroshi Nakao, Fumikazu Iseki,
and Hironobu Matsushita
Abstract Among developed countries, Japan has the highest rate of aging, and the
population requiring caregiving is increasing annually, along with long-term care
service demands. Meanwhile, there are insufficient resources to maintain their longterm care insurance system, and the caregiving industry is facing managerial challenges. Thus, the government proposed a review of the long-term care insurance
system and managerial support policies to increase productivity and mitigation of the
burden of employees in caregiving homes. Recently, new care approaches utilizing
information technology, artificial intelligence, and robot technology for supporting
innovation and service in the long-term care facilities have been explored.
Robots are being experimentally introduced in caregiving settings for communication and monitoring older adults, and evidence of the results is being collected.
Whether the use of communication robots ultimately improves the users’ quality of
life is an essential question. Therefore, examining communication robots’ effects on
older adults is also underway. The introduction of more quantitative and scientific
evaluation methods, rather than methods based on an evaluator’s experience or
subjective opinion, is a challenge of this pursuit.
This research focused on how mental health care is provided to older adults with
dementia, a population that is increasing annually. We reviewed some studies of the
psychological effects of communication robots on older adults with dementia. It is
best to utilize noncontact equipment with older adults with dementia as it causes less
psychological and physical stress. In this study, we investigated the effects of a
communication robot (Pepper) on the treatment of older adults with dementia and
used the Facial Action Coding System to analyze how the older adults felt when
communicating with Pepper.
Finally, we will present perspectives concerning the main topic of interest for this
chapter: healthcare innovation for providing psychological care to caregiving home
residents and daytime care service users through the use of communication robots.
Y. Ikeda · M. Kobayakawa · H. Nakao · F. Iseki · H. Matsushita (*)
Tokyo University of Information Sciences, Chiba, Japan
e-mail: ikeyuki@rsch.tuis.ac.jp; nakao@rsch.tuis.ac.jp; iseki@rsch.tuis.ac.jp;
hm206128@rsch.tuis.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
H. Matsushita (ed.), Health Informatics, Translational Systems Sciences 24,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3781-3_3
37