In-Home Social Robots Design for Cognitive Stimulation Therapy in Dementia Care

2025-07-17

AI Summary

Low caregiver adherence and intervention sustainability hinder the delivery of individualized Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (iCST) for people with dementia in home settings. Method: This study designed and evaluated a socially assistive robot system for long-term, at-home use, integrating user-centered design, multimodal spoken dialogue interaction, and evidence-based iCST protocols to establish a personalized, cognitively stimulating human–robot interaction framework. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed through three rounds of expert consultation and real-world home trials involving five individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia and three clinical experts. Contribution/Results: All participants expressed willingness to continue using the system; clinical experts unanimously endorsed its therapeutic applicability. While speech recognition accuracy requires further improvement, this work represents the first implementation of robot-mediated, sustained iCST outside institutional settings—establishing a scalable technical paradigm for home-based, non-pharmacological dementia interventions.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Cognitive Robotics
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction
• Humans and AI: Interaction Techniques and Devices

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Assisted, interactive, and conversational search
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Studies of user behavior, including longitudinal effects of personalized systems
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Individual cognitive stimulation therapy (iCST) is a non-pharmacological intervention for improving the cognition and quality of life of persons with dementia (PwDs); however, its effectiveness is limited by low adherence to delivery by their family members. In this work, we present the user-centered design and evaluation of a novel socially assistive robotic system to provide iCST therapy to PwDs in their homes for long-term use. We consulted with 16 dementia caregivers and professionals. Through these consultations, we gathered design guidelines and developed the prototype. The prototype was validated by testing it with three dementia professionals and five PwDs. The evaluation revealed PwDs enjoyed using the system and are willing to adopt its use over the long term. One shortcoming was the system's speech-to-text capabilities, where it frequently failed to understand the PwDs.

Problem

• Designing social robots for dementia cognitive therapy at home
• Improving adherence to individual cognitive stimulation therapy
• Addressing speech recognition limitations in assistive robotic systems

Innovation

• User-centered design for assistive robotic system
• Long-term in-home cognitive stimulation therapy
• Prototype validated with professionals and patients