ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the utility of social robots for older adults generally, and the application for people with dementia more specifically. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2015) reports that dementia is a major public health priority and forecasts that the number of people with dementia will continue to increase alongside an ageing of the world population. Approximately 47.5 million people globally have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year (WHO, 2015). As covered in Chapter 7, dementia is a progressive condition that broadly impacts on cognitive and behavioural functioning (e.g. memory, judgement, communication and affect regulation). These signs and symptoms of dementia interfere significantly with a person's everyday activities, independence and sense of self. As the condition progresses and communication becomes more challenging, the person with dementia may spend a large part of the day alone and with limited opportunities for social interaction (Moyle et al., 2011). Social isolation reduces the person's quality of life and increases the negative behavioural symptoms of dementia which, in turn, accelerate the process of cognitive decline (Fratiglioni et al., 2000). There is currently no cure for dementia and, as the condition takes away the person's independence, the majority of people end their lives in nursing home care.
