Effects of a Proactive Social Robot for Older Adults in Reducing Loneliness and Social Isolation

NCT03972787 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: REB #18-54
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 2 countries
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

This project will to evaluate whether a proactive social robot (ElliQ) has an impact on reducing social isolation and loneliness in older adults who are living alone, while also promoting independence and aging in place. To achieve this, the following research questions will be investigated:

• Loneliness and social isolation;
• Accessibility to and use of technology;
• Quality of life, mood, and overall well-being; and
• Caregiver experience?
• Do particular characteristics of the older adult population influence these impacts?

Conditions

Loneliness; Mood; Quality of Life

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness (UCLA) V3 Scale - Change is Being Assessed

  The UCLA Loneliness V3 scale is a 20-item scale measuring loneliness and social isolation; it has been validated in older adult populations. For this scale, 11 items are worded negatively to indicate loneliness, while 9 are worded positively (and are reverse scored) to indicate social connectedness. Participants are asked to rate their responses on a 4-point scale, with responses ranging from 1 ("never") to 4 ("often"). The individual items are then tallied and a total score is calculated (range: 20-80). Higher scores indicate higher levels of loneliness. As the primary outcome for this study, the investigators are exploring the impacts of the social robot on participants' self-rated loneliness/social connectedness. This measure is being collected at multiple time points to evaluate whether there is a change observed across loneliness over time.

  Time 1 (baseline, week 0), Time 2 (follow-up 1, week 9), Time 3 (follow-up 2, week 18)

Other Outcomes (10)

• Computer Proficiency Questionnaire

  Time 1 (baseline, week 0), Time 2 (follow-up 1, week 9), Time 3 (follow-up 2, week 18)

• ElliQ Companionship Questionnaire

  Time 2 (follow-up 1, week 9), Time 3 (follow-up 2, week 18)

• Caregiver Status

  Time 1 (baseline, week 0), Time 2 (follow-up 1, week 9), Time 3 (follow-up 2, week 18)

Study Arms (2)

Proactive Social Robot (Intervention)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will have the opportunity to use ElliQ for a total of 8 weeks to determine the impacts of the system on participants' loneliness, mood, technology use, and quality of life.

Device: Proactive social robot

Waitlist Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will not receive any intervention for a total of 8 weeks to determine whether any impacts noted for participants' loneliness, mood, technology use, and quality of life are unique to ElliQ or are influenced by other factors.

Interventions

Proactive social robot DEVICE

ElliQ, is a new type of robotic technology aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation in older adults. It differs from other social/companion robots on the market, as it leverages artificial intelligence to create personalized and interactive experiences for the user, while also proactively offering prompts (such as reminding the user to stay hydrated) and suggesting and initiating various activities for the user (such as offering to play a game). This social companion adapts to the personalities and interests of the older adult, creating a personalized experience and recommending content the user may enjoy such as news, music, TED talks, and cognitive games.

Also known as: ElliQ

Proactive Social Robot (Intervention)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 70 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Older adults aged ≥70 years old and living alone
• Has minimal exposure to technology on a daily basis
• Residents of Baycrest or JSLG/UCSF, or community-dwelling older adults who live near Baycrest or JSLG/UCSF
• Agrees to allow the ElliQ setup team (a member of Baycrest or JSLG/UCSF and Intuition Robotics) to come to their home to install the ElliQ system and to provide training on how to use the system
• Agrees to have the ElliQ setup team test their existing Wi-Fi in their home or agrees to allow for installation of Wi-Fi in their home for the duration of the study (at no cost to the participant)
• Is able to speak clearly and be understood, as exemplified by an app such as Siri/Google speech recognition
• Is able to hear a finger rub with hearing aids in, if applicable
• Is able to read visual content on a screen

You may not qualify if:

• Is unable to communicate in oral English
• Is unable to read visual content on a screen
• Has a history or current diagnosis of major psychiatric conditions, excluding depression
• Has sensory impairments (e.g., severe auditory or visual impairments) that would impede an individual's ability to interact with the ElliQ system, which features voice-activated technology and the presentation of content on a screen
• Has a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score \<18
• Is currently enrolled in another study
• Is an informal caregiver (e.g., a family member, friend, etc.) of an ElliQ study participant
• Lives separately (in a different home) from their study partner (i.e., the ElliQ participant)
• Has access to an Android Smartphone or iPhone running iOS v. 10 or above through which to access Twilio Messenger
• Is willing and able to use Twilio Messenger to access the ElliQ messaging function
• Understands and abides by the terms and conditions of the messaging app (i.e., Twilio messenger) that links to the ElliQ system
• Is able to speak clearly and in oral English
• Able to hear audio and see and read content on a screen
• Individuals who are not an informal caregiver to an ElliQ study participant
• Lives in the same home as the ElliQ study participant

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Baycrest: lead
• Jewish Senior Living Group: collaborator
• Intuition Robotics: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Jewish Senior Living Group

San Francisco, California, 94112, United States

Location

Baycrest

Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada

Location

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Related Links

• Statistics Canada. Canada Year Book. 2011.

Study Officials

• Allison B Sekuler, PhD

  Baycrest

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Sandra A Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience; Managing Director and Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute; Managing Director, Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation; Vice-President Research, Baycrest Health Sciences

Model Details: This study is a stratified, parallel, randomized waitlist control study that will be implemented at Baycrest and JSLG/UCSF, in which eligible, consented participants will be randomly allocated to the ElliQ (intervention) group or the waitlist control group following a 1:1 allocation ratio. In light of the potential benefits of ElliQ exposure, the waitlist control group will receive the ElliQ intervention after serving as a comparable contemporary control group for the ElliQ intervention group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 24, 2019
• First Posted: June 4, 2019
• Study Start: March 5, 2019
• Primary Completion: January 31, 2020
• Study Completion: July 31, 2020
• Last Updated: February 5, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1); US (1)