Perceptions of Humanoid Robots in Caregiving: A Study of Skilled Nursing Home and Long Term Care Administrators

TL;DR

This study explores skilled nursing home administrators' perceptions of humanoid robots, revealing their interest in robotics for enhancing care but also highlighting concerns about costs, human interaction, and implementation challenges.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into administrators' diverse perspectives on integrating humanoid robots in long-term care settings, emphasizing barriers and strategies for effective adoption.

Findings

Administrators are interested in using robots to improve resident engagement.

Concerns exist regarding costs, human interaction, and robot effectiveness.

Strategic implementation and training are crucial for successful integration.

Abstract

As the aging population increases and the shortage of healthcare workers increases, the need to examine other means for caring for the aging population increases. One such means is the use of humanoid robots to care for social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of the people above 65. Understanding skilled and long term care nursing home administrators' perspectives on humanoid robots in caregiving is crucial as their insights shape the implementation of robots and their potential impact on resident well-being and quality of life. This authors surveyed two hundred and sixty nine nursing homes executives to understand their perspectives on the use of humanoid robots in their nursing home facilities. The data was coded and results revealed that the executives were keen on exploring other avenues for care such as robotics that would enhance their nursing homes abilities to care for their residents. Qualitative analysis reveals diverse perspectives on integrating humanoid robots in nursing homes. While acknowledging benefits like improved engagement and staff support, concerns persist about costs, impacts on human interaction, and doubts about robot effectiveness. This highlights complex barriers financial, technical, and human and emphasizes the need for strategic implementation. It underscores the importance of thorough training, role clarity, and showcasing technology benefits to ensure efficiency and satisfaction among staff and residents.