Mobile Service Robots for Older Adults’ Mobility: Investigation of Their Attitude for Daily Assistance in Residential Environments

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 3 - 16, 20.08.2024

Vedia Durmaz , Parla Özkul , Yasemin Afacan

Abstract

Background: As the world's aging population increases, care of older adults has become inevitable. Regarding older adults’ care, mobility is the biggest struggle for older adults, whose bones and muscles deteriorate. The solution is to provide independence in built environments where older adults live and experience during their daily lives. Technological investigations raise the focus on care services within social assistive technologies. With the increasing need for older adults’ care faced by governments, understanding practical solutions is crucial for social robot development. Aim: This research aims to examine the impact of the appearance of mobile service robots, explore changes in older adults’ attitudes, and assess the potential mediating factors in the relationships between age and education. Another objective is to analyze the mobility tasks for daily life activities on the attitude of older adults towards service robots. Method: A survey design was created, with a sample of 19 from Antalya and Kocaeli, aged over 65, divided into 12 women and 7 men. First, older adults conducted a survey to elaborate on their mobility problems. Later, older adults were asked to complete another three-part survey to assess their attitudes toward mobile service robots and their daily activities. All data were collected by using self-reported questionnaires in their residential environment. These data were analyzed through descriptive analysis to create Interpersonal Circumplex. The relation between age and attitude was calculated through the Pearson Correlation. Independent Samples t-Test explored older adults’ attitudes toward service robots in daily activities. Findings: The findings revealed that the mobile service robots’ appearance affected the older adults’ attitudes, whereas age was the mediator that impacted older adults’ attitudes, unlike education. Results: Moreover, the results demonstrated that older adults having difficulty in daily activities needed more privacy and were more distant from the mobile service robots.

Keywords

SARs, mobile service robots, mobility, daily life activity, older adults’ attitude.

Yaşlı Yetişkinlerin Mobiliteleri İçin Mobil Hizmet Robotları: Günlük Yardım İçin Konut Ortamlarındaki Tutumlarının Araştırılması

Abstract

Arka plan: Dünya genç nüfusun artışıyla birlikte yaşlanan nüfusun sayısı arttıkça, yaşlı bakımı kaçınılmaz hale gelmiştir. Yaşlı bakımıyla ilgili olarak, kemik ve kasların bozulması nedeniyle yaşlı bireyler için mobilite en büyük zorluktur. Çözüm, yaşlı bireylerin yaşadığı ve günlük yaşamları boyunca deneyimledikleri yerleşik çevrelerde bağımsızlık sağlamaktır. Teknolojik incelemeler, sosyal yardımcı teknolojiler içinde bakım hizmetlerine odaklanmaktadır. Hükümetlerin karşılaştığı yaşlı bakımı ihtiyacının artmasıyla birlikte, sosyal robot geliştirmek için pratik çözümleri anlamak önemlidir. Amaç: Bu araştırma, mobil hizmet robotlarının görünümünün etkisini incelemeyi, yaşlı yetişkinlerin tutumlarındaki değişiklikleri keşfetmeyi ve yaş ve eğitim arasındaki ilişkilerde potansiyel aracı faktörleri değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Başka bir amaç, yaşlı yetişkinlerin günlük yaşam aktivitelerindeki mobilite görevlerini analiz etmektir. Antalya ve Kocaeli'den seçilen 65 yaş ve üzeri 19 katılımcıyla, 12 kadın ve 7 erkek olmak üzere, anket oluşturuldu. Yöntem: İlk olarak, yaşlı yetişkinler mobilite sorunları üzerine bir anket gerçekleştirdi. Daha sonra, yaşlı yetişkinlere mobil hizmet robotlarına karşı tutumlarını ve günlük aktivitelerini değerlendirmek için başka bir üç bölümlü anketi tamamlamaları istendi. Tüm veriler, kendi rapor ettikleri anketler kullanılarak ev ortamlarında toplandı. Bu veriler, Tanımlayıcı Analiz kullanılarak Kişilerarası Döngüsel Modeli oluşturmak için analiz edildi. Yaş ve tutum arasındaki ilişki, Pearson Korelasyonu ile hesaplandı. Bağımsız Örneklem t-Testi, yaşlı yetişkinlerin günlük aktivitelerdeki hizmet robotlarına karşı tutumlarını analiz etmede yardımcı oldu. Bulgular: Mobil hizmet robotlarının görünümünün yaşlı yetişkinlerin tutumlarını etkilediğini, yaşın tutumları etkileyen bir faktör olduğunu, eğitimin ise aksine olmadığını ortaya koydu. Sonuç: Günlük aktivitelerde zorluk yaşayan yaşlı yetişkinlerin daha fazla gizliliğe ihtiyaç duyduğunu ve mobil hizmet robotlarına daha mesafeli olduğunu gösterdi.

Keywords

SARs, Mobilite, Günlük Yaşam Aktiviteleri, Yaşlı Yetişkinlerin Tutumları, Mobil Hizmet Robotları

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