Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot

Background: Maintenance of communication is important for people with dementia living in long-term care. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using “Giraff”, a telepresence robot to enhance engagement between family and a person with dementia living in long-term care. Methods:...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moyle, W., Jones, C., Cooke, M., O'Dwyer, S., Sung, Billy, Drummond, S.
Format: Journal Article
Published: BioMed Central Ltd 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48122
_version_ 1848758023975075840
author Moyle, W.
Jones, C.
Cooke, M.
O'Dwyer, S.
Sung, Billy
Drummond, S.
author_facet Moyle, W.
Jones, C.
Cooke, M.
O'Dwyer, S.
Sung, Billy
Drummond, S.
author_sort Moyle, W.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: Maintenance of communication is important for people with dementia living in long-term care. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using “Giraff”, a telepresence robot to enhance engagement between family and a person with dementia living in long-term care. Methods: A mixed-methods approach involving semi-structured interviews, call records and video observational data was used. Five people with dementia and their family member participated in a discussion via the Giraff robot for a minimum of six times over a six-week period. A feasibility framework was used to assess feasibility and included video analysis of emotional response and engagement. Results: Twenty-six calls with an average duration of 23 mins took place. Residents showed a general state of positive emotions across the calls with a high level of engagement and a minimal level of negative emotions. Participants enjoyed the experience and families reported that the Giraff robot offered the opportunity to reduce social isolation. A number of software and hardware challenges were encountered. Conclusions: Participants perceived this novel approach to engage families and people with dementia as a feasible option. Participants were observed and also reported to enjoy the experience. The technical challenges identified have been improved in a newer version of the robot. Future research should include a feasibility trial of longer duration, with a larger sample and a cost analysis.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T09:37:24Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-48122
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T09:37:24Z
publishDate 2014
publisher BioMed Central Ltd
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-481222017-09-13T14:22:15Z Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot Moyle, W. Jones, C. Cooke, M. O'Dwyer, S. Sung, Billy Drummond, S. Background: Maintenance of communication is important for people with dementia living in long-term care. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of using “Giraff”, a telepresence robot to enhance engagement between family and a person with dementia living in long-term care. Methods: A mixed-methods approach involving semi-structured interviews, call records and video observational data was used. Five people with dementia and their family member participated in a discussion via the Giraff robot for a minimum of six times over a six-week period. A feasibility framework was used to assess feasibility and included video analysis of emotional response and engagement. Results: Twenty-six calls with an average duration of 23 mins took place. Residents showed a general state of positive emotions across the calls with a high level of engagement and a minimal level of negative emotions. Participants enjoyed the experience and families reported that the Giraff robot offered the opportunity to reduce social isolation. A number of software and hardware challenges were encountered. Conclusions: Participants perceived this novel approach to engage families and people with dementia as a feasible option. Participants were observed and also reported to enjoy the experience. The technical challenges identified have been improved in a newer version of the robot. Future research should include a feasibility trial of longer duration, with a larger sample and a cost analysis. 2014 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48122 10.1186/1471-2318-14-7 BioMed Central Ltd unknown
spellingShingle Moyle, W.
Jones, C.
Cooke, M.
O'Dwyer, S.
Sung, Billy
Drummond, S.
Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
title Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
title_full Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
title_fullStr Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
title_full_unstemmed Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
title_short Connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
title_sort connecting the person with dementia and family: a feasibility study of a telepresence robot
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/48122