Development and Practical Evaluation of Dementia Prevention Program by Communication Robot

The declining birth rate and aging of society in Japan have progressed remarkably, presenting great difficulties in recent years. Particularly, the burden of nursing care is a looming difficulty. To resolve it, attention must be devoted to preventing dementia in elderly people. We developed an activity program using communication robots in a cognitive function retention class for elderly community residents, and investigated their reactions and impressions. Results show that many elderly people were interested in activities that were performed along with the robot. They gave the impression that they are more fun than just doing tasks with people. Activities with direct talking to and interacting with robots must be developed.