Conversation Analysis of Robot-Assisted Recreation for Older Adults with Dementia

Abstract

Social commitment robots have been used in aged care facilities as a group activity to enhance social wellness in older adults with dementia. This preliminary study examined the effectiveness of a scenario-type Robot-Assisted Recreation (RAR) program by analyzing participants' conversations. The RAR program was designed to provide participants with ongoing enjoyment and to take into account the cognitive conditions with dementia. The effects of activating communication between the participants were tested in field works of four RAR activities. Speech data recorded during recreation and pre-recreation and post-recreation interviews were analyzed for transcriptions, the number of utterances, response speech duration, and fundamental frequency of speech data. Results revealed that participants' QoL improved in terms of their willingness to participate in recreation, their positive feelings about the future, and their interest in interacting with others.