A Social Robot as Therapy Facilitator in Interventions to Deal with Dementia-related Behavioral Symptoms

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Several studies have been reported on the use of social robots for dementia care. These robots have been used for diverse tasks such as for companionship, as an exercise coach, and as daily life assistant. However, most of these studies have assessed impact on participants only at the time when the interaction takes place rather than their medium or long-term effects. In this work, we report on a nine-week study conducted in a nursing home in which a autonomous social robot, called Eva, acts as facilitator of a cognitive stimulation therapy (CST). During the study, eight persons with dementia interacted with the robot in a group session which included elements of music therapy, reminiscence, cognitive games, and relaxation. Using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Home version (NPI-NH), we analyzed the impact of the therapy guided by the robot. The results show a statistically significant decrease in the total score of NPI-NH. Also, three dementia-related symptoms: delusions, agitation/aggression, and euphoria/exaltation, show a statistically significant decrease after the intervention. In addition, a qualitative analysis on interviews conducted with caregivers shows that all participants exhibits positive short-term effects after the session and provides insights on why some changes in behavior prevailed beyond the therapy sessions. Our results provide evidence that a social robot could play a role in improving the quality of life of persons with dementia.