A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of a Personal Robot-Mediated Cognitive-Focused Program for Female Older Adults using Community Welfare Centers

This study aimed to examine the feasibility of personal robots and explore changes in older adults' cognitive function and emotional state by implementing a personal robot-mediated cognitive-focused program for female older adults using community welfare centers. To this end, a single-group pretest–posttest design was applied to 18 female older adults using a community welfare center in S City, and the program was implemented for 4 weeks. Changes in cognitive function (subjective memory decline, cognitive screening test) and emotional state (depression, psychological well-being) were analyzed through pretests and posttests. The results showed that participants used the robot an average of approximately 2 times per week for approximately 30 minutes per session. Although there were no significant changes in cognitive function, depression (t(17)=1.87, p=0.079) and psychological well-being (t(17)=-2.00, p=0.062) showed positive improvements at a borderline level. In particular, a significant improvement (t(17)=-2.33, p=0.033) was observed in the subdomain 'purpose in life'. This study is significant in that it provides foundational data needed for the operation and expansion of robot-based services for community-dwelling older adults.