Autonomy and Dignity: Principles in Designing Effective Social Robots to Assist in the Care of Older Adults

We introduce two key concepts for designing social robots to assist in the care of older adults: autonomy and personal dignity. These concepts are guiding ethical principles to occupational therapists. These principles provide a client-centric perspective to effective care that ensures the well-being of the individual and maintaining a good quality of life. The perspective of occupational therapists provides a valuable insight to designing socially assistive robots. These therapists are trained to work with clients to improve their quality of life and provide the training and therapy necessary for the person to independently perform important activities for daily living. A social robot can supplement the care of an OT, being available when a human caregiver cannot, and extend the assistance to be provided. However, it is critical that the assistance does not go too far and begin to impact the individual’s autonomy and sense of personal dignity.