Cognitive training for older adults with a dialogue-based, robot-facilitated storytelling system

Abstract

Early detection programs for mild cognitive impairment have recently been developed. However, there is no standard method of daily training to build resilience against cognitive decline. We propose a dialogue-based method for healthy older adults. This involves collecting stories from older adults to generate datasets of question-and-answer pairs for each story in a dialogue format. We then provide these datasets through an interactive storytelling experience facilitated by a robot. Here we report on and discuss initial findings on the attitudes of elderly users towards the robot, the robot’s accuracy as a facilitator, and the ability of elders to remember story information provided by the robot.