AUSTRALIA | Brightwater Care Group is trialling humanoid companion robots across four aged care homes in Western Australia as part of a AUD $982,000 Lotterywest-funded programme looking at new ways to support people living with dementia.
The Abi robots will also be used at Brightwater’s planned young-onset dementia home in Waikiki, south of Perth. The trial will look at whether the technology can improve social connection and resident engagement through conversation and activities.
Brightwater had already explored the use of Abi in aged care, but the new funding gives the provider an opportunity to test the technology across a wider group of residents and care settings.
CEO Dr Catherine Stoddart said the robots were intended to complement human care rather than replace it.
That distinction matters for operators considering similar technology. A robot may attract plenty of attention when it first arrives, but the real question is whether residents continue to use it and whether it adds something worthwhile to their day.
Research into socially assistive and humanoid robots in dementia care has shown some encouraging results, including improvements in engagement and, in some studies, agitation and anxiety. The evidence is still developing, particularly around longer-term use and how well the technology works for different residents.
Brightwater’s trial should therefore be useful beyond the novelty of introducing a humanoid robot into an aged care home. Operators will be looking for evidence around resident response, frequency of use and whether the technology becomes part of everyday care and activity programmes.
The same Lotterywest grant will also support what Brightwater described as Western Australia’s first purpose-built residential home for people with young-onset dementia.
The home is being developed at Waikiki and has been designed with input from people living with young-onset dementia and their families. Brightwater said the aim was to create an age-appropriate environment supporting independence, dignity and connection.
Young-onset dementia generally refers to dementia diagnosed before the age of 65. People may still be working, raising families and living relatively active lives when their support needs begin to increase, making conventional residential aged care a poor fit for some.
Brightwater already operates two young-onset dementia supported independent living homes at Kingsley. The Waikiki development will allow the provider to design a new environment specifically around the needs of younger residents from the outset.
The organisation also plans to evaluate the completed home and look at how its design affects resident outcomes.
Together, the two projects give Brightwater an opportunity to test two very different parts of dementia care. One is about the environment people live in. The other is about whether new technology can add useful social interaction once they are there.
For other operators, the value will be in what Brightwater can show after the trial, particularly how residents continue to engage with Abi once the initial novelty has worn off.
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