Friday, May 23, 2025
5/23/2025
Robot-based Information and Support to Enhance Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (RISE) - Project Summary/Abstract The burden of caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (PwADRD) often falls on unpaid caregivers, usually family members or friends. The mental, emotional, and physical stress associated with such caregiving can lead to adverse health outcomes for the caregivers themselves. Recognizing this, our project aims to develop and evaluate the Robot Interaction Scale of Engagement (RISE) system, a novel tool designed to support these caregivers. By leveraging advanced artificial intelligence, the social robot, Pepper, and the (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregivers Health) REACH Community and REACH VA content, the RISE system aims to provide caregivers with essential information on effective care strategies, self-care and coping, and stress management techniques. The goal is to enhance caregivers’ ability to provide care and improve their well-being. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) tailor an AI-driven social robot to engage caregivers, (2) evaluate user acceptance of the RISE system and the caregivers' attitudes toward it, and (3) assess the accuracy and quality of the RISE system's interactions with caregivers. A pilot study is proposed to meet these objectives, involving 30 caregivers at the O'Connor Senior Center in Knoxville, an institution with a diverse visitor demographic. Participants will engage in full RISE sessions, interacting with the robot. Based on their needs and preferences, participants will select knowledge modules, consisting of a presentation, question and answer session, and knowledge quiz on behavioral topics such as bathing, wandering, or self-care and coping topics such as asking for health, followed by their choice of stress management activity guided by the robot. The sessions will then be evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods to assess user acceptance and the system's accuracy. The findings from this pilot study will contribute valuable insights into the use of AI and robotics in the caregiving context. This knowledge will inform the development of an optimized version of the RISE system and will serve as a solid foundation for a larger, more comprehensive study in the future.
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