Professionalization of lifeworld crises by means of technology? On the use of socially assistive robots in dementia care

Within the context of our wider interest in the socio-technical aspects of care, in this article we examine how socially assistive robots are being used in inpatient geriatric care of persons suffering from dementia. Based on an ethnographic long-term study conducted in a nursing home which currently employs two of the robots investigated by us, we focus on the behavior of those who operate these robots: so-called "additional nurses" ( 87b Abs. 3 SGB XI). Proceeding from the assumption that processes of professionalization are frequently triggered by ( what societies define as) crises, we inquire what role technology plays in this regard. Thinking about the use of robots in dementia care, we argue, helps us understand how crises are being constructed as well as overcome - which indicates a significant potential of professionalization on the part of the "additional nurses."