Autonomous Navigating Telepresence Robot for Alleviating Loneliness and Engaging Nursing Home Residents with and without Dementia

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1R43AG073001-01 Malinksy, Yuval ABSTRACT Social isolation has been an emerging critical challenge in the care of older adults in nursing homes where residents engage for an average of just 12 minutes per day with an activity director, a situation further exacerbated by Covid-19. Social isolation has detrimental effects on health as evidenced by the fact that 48.7% of nursing home residents have an active depression diagnosis. Loneliness is associated with increased depressive symptoms, risk for coronary heart disease and stroke, and is a key predictor of depression, health deterioration, and death in older adults. Greater loneliness is associated with lower cognitive function. Prior to COVID-19, 50.4% of nursing home residents were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease related dementias. Socialization has been shown to reduce chronic disease, depression, slow down cognitive decline, and to improve quality of life in older adults. At the same time that the older population is growing rapidly in the U.S., there is a growing shortage in caregivers and staff in nursing homes and the staff are overworked. Recent attempts to address the loneliness problem by providing tablets to nursing homes through the Care Act have caused the already understaffed nursing homes’ extra work since residents cannot figure out how to use the tablets on their own. Scheduling staff for setting up the tablets and facilitating communication for the residents at their rooms when families want to virtually meet, present another challenge. The proposed project aims to integrate an affordable autonomous navigating telepresence robot with proven web-based scheduling and communications (Zoom) systems and a proven activities platform for seniors. The Vigorous Mind (“VM”) activities platform has been used successfully in dozens of senior living facilities and nursing homes for more than nine years. We will test the feasibility of implementing the integrated system at two nursing homes to address both social isolation and engagement as well as eliminating the need for staff to handle scheduling and to be present with residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias or without in performing the virtual visits. The system will allow families to schedule virtual visits through the nursing homes’ website and the robot will autonomously navigate its way to the resident’s room at the scheduled time. The family member will be seen by the resident on the robot screen and the robot will move into the room where the resident and the family member will socialize and engage in VM activities. At the end of the virtual visit the robot will autonomously navigate its way to the disinfection station, be disinfected and charge its battery. The feasibility test will last three months and we shall collect data about user satisfaction with the sessions, with the technology and resident engagement. We will collect preliminary data on the success of the system in alleviating loneliness and improving mood among older adult residents of a nursing home in preparation for a larger and longer PHASE II SBIR. If successful, this technology could be an affordable solution for addressing loneliness and social isolation in long-term care and senior living facilities and in homes of older adults who live with caregivers, and at the same time save caregivers time and give them some respite.