Introducing Social Robots to Assess Frailty in Older Adults

Abstract

Frailty is a crucial indicator in determining the well-being of older adults in terms of their health. With the growing number of elderly people, the demand for geriatricians is increasing, which means that they have less time to spend with each patient. The current methods for frailty assessment use simple tests that are time-consuming and do not require specific medical expertise. To address this issue, this paper proposes the use of social robots to assess frailty autonomously. It presents a practical proposal that defines the robot’s behavior and explains the design and implementation concepts. Finally, it discusses some of the challenges that may arise from introducing social robots as frailty evaluators.