Care Robot Orientation - What, Who and How? Potential users' perceptions

Exploring the specific field of
care robot orientation generates many questions regarding the meaning, content
and how it should be conducted. The issue is important due to the general
digitalisation and implementation of welfare technology and care robots. The
aim of the study was to explore perceptions of care robot orientation from the
potential users’ perspective. Data were collected by focus group interviews in
Finland, Germany and Sweden. In all three countries, potential user groups were
represented: older adults, relatives, professional caregivers and care service
managers. A qualitative
descriptive method was used for analysing data. The data revealed three aspects
of care robot orientation: 1) What care
robot orientation is, 2) Who needs it
and by Whom it should be given and 3)
How it should be performed. The need for care robot orientation is general in society. In the absence of knowledge
about care robots, it is nearly impossible to know what to ask for or actually
seek information about. Therefore, care robot orientation must be founded on
agile implementation planning for care robots, with a firm basis in trustworthy
knowledge and information and respecting individuals’ wishes. This also gives
rise to an ethical challenge when care robots are offered to people having
reduced decision-making ability (dementia, cognitive impairment), along with
the issue of who then should make the decision. The mapping of the What, Who/Whom and How aspects
of care robot orientation offers a foundation for the creation of orientation
models, which might facilitate structured and goal-oriented care robot orientation
strategies.