Abstract
OriHime®, an example of a telepresence robot, was used as part of occupational therapy for inpatients with intractable neurological diseases. The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life – Direct Weighting (SEIQoL–DW) was used to evaluate changes in quality of life (QOL) as a result of robot use. The subjects were four long–term care inpatients, one with progressive muscular dystrophy and three with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The patients experienced pseudo–outings by remote manipulation of telepresence robots installed in their homes while staying in bed and were able to communicate with their families. QOL was evaluated by the SEIQoL–DW before and after the use of robots. SEIQoL index score, a QOL index, increased in all patients after using the robots. They all listed the “family” domain (cue) as one they considered to be important in their own lives, and the levels of importance and satisfaction of the “family” cue also increased. For inpatients with intractable neurological diseases with limited ability for communication and movement, we believe that support using telepresence robots serves to confirm and strengthen the connection between the patients and their families, resulting in improved QOL.
