Consequently, according to CHWs, the quality and amount of communication are
decreasing, along with the amount of time spent on recreation. At the same time,
recreation and conversations with CHWs are considered vital for increasing the
emotional richness of CHRs’ lives and working toward an increased desire for social
participation and spontaneity. Care duties include a mixture of areas for which it is
possible to strive for increased productivity and efficiency, and areas for which this is
difficult.
4 The Role of Communication Robots
In the past, Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) using real animals has been carried out
in medical and caregiving settings. Robots are being used as a tool in place of AAT.
In addition to Robot-Assisted Therapy (RAT), the goal of which is treatment, there is
also Robot-Assisted Activity (RAA), used for entertainment through games or
conversation, and Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation (RAR), used for rehabilitation
purposes.
According to Shibata (2017, p. 218), RAT is expected to yield results equivalent
to those of AAT and has been shown to have psychological, physiological, and
social effects. Commercialization of PARO, a seal-like robot developed by Japan’s
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, began in Japan in
2005, and there has since been ongoing investigation of its introduction and effects
in medical and welfare settings. Since 2009, PARO has been marketed in over
30 countries worldwide and was acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the
“World’s Most Therapeutic Robot” in 2002. Results of verifying the effects of
PARO, the intended users of which are older adults with dementia, confirmed:
(1) its ability to “mitigate/control peripheral symptoms such as wandering, violence,
or abusive language, and therapeutic effects such as improved/restored conversation
ability”; (2) its efficiency in “reducing the burden on caregivers”; and (3) effects of
“reduction in the dose of antipsychotic medications” in patients (Shibata, 2017,
p. 221).
Meanwhile, Softbank’s Humanoid Communication Robot (Pepper) is an example
of RAA. Communication with a Humanoid Communication Robot is “psychologically safe” (Sakata, 2019, p. 23) and understood to be simpler and less stressful than
communication with another human (Sakamoto & Sakata, 2018). Recently, there has
been a trend of utilizing communication robots for physical exercise, recreation, and
observation in caregiving homes. Using Pepper to run a recreational application for
older adults was found to encourage their participation (Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare, Bureau for the Elderly, Support for Older Adults Division, 2015,
pp. 40–41). According to Kuwahara (2015), incorporating robots into caregiving
recreation services will lead to increased QOL in older adults with dementia.
However, cost-effectiveness and insufficient investigation of effective usage
methods were problems surrounding the introduction of communication robots.
Further, empirical support was necessary due to the need for scientific measurement
42
Y. Ikeda et al.
decreasing, along with the amount of time spent on recreation. At the same time,
recreation and conversations with CHWs are considered vital for increasing the
emotional richness of CHRs’ lives and working toward an increased desire for social
participation and spontaneity. Care duties include a mixture of areas for which it is
possible to strive for increased productivity and efficiency, and areas for which this is
difficult.
4 The Role of Communication Robots
In the past, Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) using real animals has been carried out
in medical and caregiving settings. Robots are being used as a tool in place of AAT.
In addition to Robot-Assisted Therapy (RAT), the goal of which is treatment, there is
also Robot-Assisted Activity (RAA), used for entertainment through games or
conversation, and Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation (RAR), used for rehabilitation
purposes.
According to Shibata (2017, p. 218), RAT is expected to yield results equivalent
to those of AAT and has been shown to have psychological, physiological, and
social effects. Commercialization of PARO, a seal-like robot developed by Japan’s
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, began in Japan in
2005, and there has since been ongoing investigation of its introduction and effects
in medical and welfare settings. Since 2009, PARO has been marketed in over
30 countries worldwide and was acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the
“World’s Most Therapeutic Robot” in 2002. Results of verifying the effects of
PARO, the intended users of which are older adults with dementia, confirmed:
(1) its ability to “mitigate/control peripheral symptoms such as wandering, violence,
or abusive language, and therapeutic effects such as improved/restored conversation
ability”; (2) its efficiency in “reducing the burden on caregivers”; and (3) effects of
“reduction in the dose of antipsychotic medications” in patients (Shibata, 2017,
p. 221).
Meanwhile, Softbank’s Humanoid Communication Robot (Pepper) is an example
of RAA. Communication with a Humanoid Communication Robot is “psychologically safe” (Sakata, 2019, p. 23) and understood to be simpler and less stressful than
communication with another human (Sakamoto & Sakata, 2018). Recently, there has
been a trend of utilizing communication robots for physical exercise, recreation, and
observation in caregiving homes. Using Pepper to run a recreational application for
older adults was found to encourage their participation (Ministry of Health, Labour
and Welfare, Bureau for the Elderly, Support for Older Adults Division, 2015,
pp. 40–41). According to Kuwahara (2015), incorporating robots into caregiving
recreation services will lead to increased QOL in older adults with dementia.
However, cost-effectiveness and insufficient investigation of effective usage
methods were problems surrounding the introduction of communication robots.
Further, empirical support was necessary due to the need for scientific measurement
42
Y. Ikeda et al.