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No evidence that assistive robots improve quality of life for dementia patients
19 May 2022
A new study led by MSc student Clare Yu (UCL Psychiatry) shows that there is no clear evidence that people with dementia derive benefit from socially assistive robots.
There is increasing interest in using robots to support dementia care but little consensus on their effectiveness. The aim of the study was to find out if socially assistive robots have useful functions, including emotional support and companionship as well as practical support.
This is the first systematic review (and meta-analysis) investigating the evidence for robots’ use in dementia care using validated outcomes. The researchers, including co-authors Dr Andrew Sommerlad and Professor Gill Livingston (UCL Psychiatry), reviewed 66 studies to understand the feasibility, acceptability and clinical effectiveness of socially assistive robots for people with dementia. They looked at four categories of robots: companion robots (pet and humanoid), telepresence communication robots, homecare assistive robots and multifunctional robots.
The researchers found there was little evidence of any of these robots’ effectiveness. Robots were not shown to have an effect on improving cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life for people with dementia.
The study highlighted some of the problems that exist with the robots they analysed. For example, humanoid companion robots have speech recognition problems, and telepresence robots and multifunctional robots were often difficult to use. There was mixed evidence about the feasibility of homecare robots.
While there isn’t yet evidence that assistive robots to support dementia carers can actually improve outcomes, the fact that they are accepted by patients and carers suggests there is promise and further research could help understand how to refine them.
Clare Yu said: “The study is important as there is increasing interest in using robots to provide companionship, social stimulation or other functions for people with dementia, and bold claims are often made about their benefit, but we found there is not yet any clear evidence-base for such claims.”
Related
- Socially assistive robots for people with dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis of feasibility, acceptability and the effect on cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life
- Clare Yu's academic profile
- Dr Andrew Sommerlad's academic profile
- Professor Gill Livingston's academic profile
- UCL Division of Psychiatry