Applying user-centred research design and evidence to develop and guide the use of technologies, including robots, in aged care

Abstract

Many developed countries face the pressure of rapid growth in the ageing of the population. Alongside this challenge is the projected increase in the number of people requiring aged care services or home support. However, where there is an ageing of the population, the resultant outcome is the shortage of young people to provide informal care. Conventionally, care has been provided by families and in recent decades by paid workers, of which in some countries, these workers are often migrants. As a ‘super-ageing’ society, Japan has been working on a solution to the problem of a rapidly ageing population for some decades. They initially tried to hire foreign workers but language and cultural challenges together with unethical dilemmas that result from employing carers from second world countries such as Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam were noted. Furthermore, this was not found to advance care provision