Acceptability of Socially Assistive Robots Among Cognitively Intact Older Adults: An Integrative Review

An aging population and technology are two rapidly evolving phenomena occurring simultaneously worldwide. To examine the literature on the acceptability of socially assistive robots (SAR) among cognitively intact older adults, an integrative review of the literature was performed using Whittemore and Knafl's approach. Electronic databases searched included CINAHL, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. Review was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between 2013 and 2019, in or translated into English language, and included evaluation of the robot within a social context in older adults aged >= 60 years with intact cognition. A total of five articles were included in the review. There were 125 male and female participants in all studies, and the mean age of participants ranged from 66.3 to 77.1 years. The robots studied varied in design and functionality. Findings showed older adults who are cognitively intact find SAR easy to use and useful, suggesting acceptability of SAR.