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Usability and Acceptability of Social Robot Pets Among Community-Dwelling Veterans Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers.

Harris-Gersten ML, Davagnino JM, Alcorn ER, Hastings SN. Usability and Acceptability of Social Robot Pets Among Community-Dwelling Veterans Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers. American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 2023 Jan 1; 38:15333175231200973.

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Abstract:

Social robot pets promote engagement and psychosocial well-being among older adults, yet little is known about their use among community-dwelling Veterans living with dementia. This programmatic evaluation used a within subjects, pre-post design to examine the usability (frequency of use, frequency of caregiver reminders) and acceptability (benefit, satisfaction) of social robot pets among Veterans with dementia (N = 20). An intervention usability and acceptability tool was completed by telephone with family caregivers 3 months after delivery of the pet to the home. Overall, 80% of Veterans used the pet often or daily, while 7 caregivers provided reminders for the Veteran to use the pet. Caregivers indicated that Veterans experienced benefit with the pet, as well themselves. Regarding satisfaction, 89% reported they would recommend a social robot pet to others. Research is needed to expand generalizability, evaluate effects on outcomes, and enhance implementation of social robot pets among Veteran families with dementia.




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