Robots in Assisted Living Facilities: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Robotics
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Assisted living facilities face increasing care demands due to caregiver shortages, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Robots offer potential solutions for improving care for older adults and supporting professional caregivers.
• Existing research on care robots in these settings raises concerns regarding efficacy, ethics, and implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of literature on robots in assisted living facilities.
• To identify research gaps and guide future investigations into care robotics.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed across multiple databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library) on February 12, 2022.
• Studies were included if they were peer-reviewed, in English, and focused on robotics in assisted living facilities.
• Findings were analyzed using the Patterns, Advances, Gaps, Evidence for practice, and Research recommendations (PAGER) framework.

Main Results:

• 73 publications from 69 studies were analyzed, revealing mixed findings on the impact of robots on older adults.
• Methodological limitations, such as small sample sizes and lack of longitudinal designs, weaken study validity.
• Most studies focused solely on care recipients, with limited data collection from staff or visitors.

Conclusions:

• Systematic research is required to determine the feasibility and efficacy of robots in assisted living.
• There is a significant gap in understanding how robots influence geriatric care and the work environment for caregivers.
• Future research necessitates interdisciplinary collaboration and standardized methodologies to maximize benefits and minimize risks.