AUTHOR=Bevilacqua Roberta , Maranesi Elvira , Felici Elisa , Margaritini Arianna , Amabili Giulio , Barbarossa Federico , Bonfigli Anna Rita , Pelliccioni Giuseppe , Paciaroni Lucia 

TITLE=Social robotics to support older people with dementia: a study protocol with Paro seal robot in an Italian Alzheimer’s day center

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1141460

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1141460

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Introduction: The aging of the population and the high incidence of those over 80 lead to an inevitable increase in chronic degenerative diseases, such as dementia, resulting in increased morbidity and disability. Treatment of people with dementia involves both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. In particular, robot-assisted therapy is a potentially useful treatment for dementia as it has the advantage of improving mood, encouraging social interaction and communication. The present protocol aims to implement and evaluate a non-pharmacological treatment carried out through Paro robotic seal in patient with dementia.
Methods and Analysis: For this study, 20 patients with dementia are recruited and divided into Experimental Group (EG) and Control Group (CG). A 24-treatment session is conducted, divided into 2 training sessions per week, for 12 weeks. The therapy sessions last 20 minutes. The Experimental Group will receive a robotic training with Paro combined with traditional training; the Control Group will receive only the traditional therapy. Paro is a seal-shaped robot designed to have a calming effect and elicit emotional responses in patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and retirement homes.
Discussions: The final goals of the present study are to evaluate the improvement in patient-perceived quality of life following the use of the Paro robot integrated with traditional intervention in the older people with dementia. 
Ethics and Dissemination: The study was approved by the Ethic Committee of the Istituto Nazionale Ricovero e Cura Anziani, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS INRCA) during the session of 12 April 2022. It was recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov on 23 November 2022 on the number NCT05626205. The study findings will be used for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presentations in scientific meetings.