Experience With a Robot for Home Care and Its Acceptance by People With Dementia, Caregivers and Dementia Trainers

NCT ID: NCT03823066

Last Updated: 2019-01-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 12 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-08-22
• Study Completion Date: 2018-09-18

Brief Summary

Background:

Dementia rates are increasing worldwide and consequently burden global healthcare resources to a serious degree. However, there is a declining number of caregivers to provide care. It is for this reason that many new technologies, such as socially assistive robots, have been developed because of their potential to support caregivers in promoting the independence of people with dementia. Most of the (socially assistive) robots have so far been tested for people without dementia in mainly laboratory or institutional settings, like nursing homes. Consequently, there is a lack of knowledge about the possible uses of robots from the perspective of those affected by dementia in real-life/care situations (e.g. at home). Testing in a laboratory setting cannot capture the complexity and high variability of everyday situations occurring during the care of persons with dementia.

Methods

The design is a mixed method intervention study of a refined socially assistive humanoid robot. In total, three people with dementia, three relatives, three dementia trainers and three professional caregivers were included in the study. Quantitative data of technology acceptance were collected using the "Technology Usage Inventory". Qualitative data (main focus: experiences with the robot and handling the robot) were collected by means of observation and qualitative interviews. Movement data of people with dementia were collected by means of the eye camera of the robot.

This study helps to further refine and test a socially assistive robot for people with dementia living at home.

Conditions

Dementia

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Coach Pepper

Pepper is a humanoid socially assistive robot

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Coach Pepper

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Robot Peppers's height is 1.20 meters and it weighs 28 kilograms. Pepper will be called Coach Pepper, because it is connected, via web interfaces, with a theratainment app including cognitive and physical training

Interventions

Coach Pepper

Robot Peppers's height is 1.20 meters and it weighs 28 kilograms. Pepper will be called Coach Pepper, because it is connected, via web interfaces, with a theratainment app including cognitive and physical training

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Persons with dementia:

• adults
• living at home
• all types of dementia
• light and moderate dementia (MMSE 10 and above)
• light dementia: living alone or with a relative at home (if alone: the relative should live in the neighborhood and be in daily contact with the person with dementia.)
• moderate dementia: living with a relative at home
• receive professional and/or non professional care or no care
• speak and understand German
• have no physical, auditory or visual restrictions, as this would make the application of the interventions impossible
• do not take any dementia-specific medication or have been taking dementia-specific medication for at least 3 months; condition stable and no change expected during the study period
• do not take antipsychotic and antidepressant medication or have been taking them for at least 14 days before study start
• children and pets in the household after previous individual discussion

Relatives:

• relatives of the participating persons with dementia (adults)
• relatives means family members, like spouse, daughter, aunt, ... or significant others like friends and neighbors
• living or not living with the person with dementia in the same household (in the case of moderate dementia, relatives must live in the same household)
• person with dementia receives or receives no professional care
• the relative provides or does not provide care
• If the person with dementia receives paid 24-hour care (regardless of whether they have mild or moderate dementia), a relative still has to be recruited as a participant (This relative must live in the same house or household and be in daily contact with the person with dementia).
• speak and understand German

Professional caregivers

• adults
• nurses
• speak and understand German

Dementia trainers

• adults
• trained as M.A.S. (Morbus Alzheimer Syndrome) trainer
• train the participants with dementia at home
• speak and understand German

ExclusioncCriteria:

Persons with dementia:

• known aggressive behavior
• frontotemporal Dementia

• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Sozialverein Deutschlandsberg

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Humanizing Technologies GmbH

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Medical University of Graz

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Sandra Schüssler

Deputy Head of the Institute of Nursing Science

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Medical University of Graz, Institute of Nursing Science

Graz, , Austria

Countries

Austria

References

ADI. Journey of caring: an analysis of long-term care for dementia. ADI, London, 2013

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Bioethikkommission (Bioethics Commission). Roboter in der Betreuung alter Menschen - Stellungnahme der Bioethikkommission (Robots in the care of older people - statement of the Bioethics Commission). Geschäftsstelle der Bioethikkommission, Vienna, 2018

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Boman IL, Lundberg S, Starkhammar S, Nygard L. Exploring the usability of a videophone mock-up for persons with dementia and their significant others. BMC Geriatr. 2014 Apr 16;14:49. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-14-49.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24739662 (View on PubMed)

Lauriks S, Reinersmann A, Van der Roest HG, Meiland FJ, Davies RJ, Moelaert F, Mulvenna MD, Nugent CD, Droes RM. Review of ICT-based services for identified unmet needs in people with dementia. Ageing Res Rev. 2007 Oct;6(3):223-46. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2007.07.002. Epub 2007 Aug 2.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17869590 (View on PubMed)

Mao HF, Chang LH, Yao G, Chen WY, Huang WN. Indicators of perceived useful dementia care assistive technology: Caregivers' perspectives. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2015 Aug;15(8):1049-57. doi: 10.1111/ggi.12398. Epub 2014 Nov 19.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25407039 (View on PubMed)

NHI, WHO. Global Health and Aging http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/ global_health.pdf. Accessed 18. Dezember 2017, 2011.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

OECD. Adressing Dementia - the OECD response. OECD publishing, Paris, 2015.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Pino M, Boulay M, Jouen F, Rigaud AS. "Are we ready for robots that care for us?" Attitudes and opinions of older adults toward socially assistive robots. Front Aging Neurosci. 2015 Jul 23;7:141. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00141. eCollection 2015.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26257646 (View on PubMed)

Prince et al. World Alzheimer Report 2016 - Improving healthcare for people living with dementia. ADI, UK, 2016

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Robert Koch Institut. Gesundheit in Deutschland. Gesundheitsberichterstattung des Bundes (Health in Germany. Health report of the federal government). Gemeinsam getragen von RKI und Destatis. RKI, Berlin, 2015

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

30-401ex17/18a

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id