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Robot for Alleviating Loneliness and Engaging Nursing Home Residents

NCT06174337 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 18

Last updated 2023-12-18

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Social isolation is an emerging critical challenge in the care of older adults. Nursing home 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, evidenced by 48.7% of nursing home residents with an active depression diagnosis, and 61% have moderate or severe cognitive impairment. The ultimate goal of this project is to alleviate older adults loneliness and boredom and to improve their mood in an economically feasible and scalable way. The investigators will integrate the existing Vigorous Mind (VM) multidomain activities platform for older adults with an affordable autonomous navigating robot to remotely socialize with and engage long-term-care facility (Facility) residents diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or early-stage Alzheimer s disease or related dementias (Residents). The VM web-based platform has been used for group activities in senior living facilities for eight years. A Resident s profile in VM automatically searches the web and presents their favorite music, reminiscence content, comedy, and personalized brain exercises. VM is secure and HIPAA compliant. A VM employee (VM Companion) with experience running activities in a long-term care facility will be introduced by the staff to a Resident as a new companion who will visit the Resident through the robot to keep them company. The temi robot can be instructed to go to room 312 and it will navigate its way to the room. The Resident will be notified that the VM Companion is arriving for a visit, and once in the room, the VM Companion will see and greet the Resident, and the Resident will see the VM Companion. Since the VM Companion has dashboard access to the Resident s background and interests via the VM profile, they will be able to meaningfully socialize and engage in relevant VM activities. The goal of this Phase I project is to test the feasibility of this idea and to collect preliminary data on its effect on loneliness and mood.

Conditions

  • Nursing Home Resident

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Use of Video Connection with Family via Robot

A remote family member is able to connect via video with a nursing home resident.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Vigorous Mind, Inc.

    collaborator UNKNOWN

  • Northeastern University

    lead OTHER

Eligibility

Min Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2022-06-21
Primary Completion
2023-08-01
Completion
2023-11-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06174337 on ClinicalTrials.gov