Ethical Concerns of the General Public regarding the Use of Robots for Older Adults

Due to demographic change the proportion of older adults in the population is increasing, which means that the proportion of people with limitations making it difficult to live independently at home or in institutions is also increasing. As a nursing shortage is evident today and expected to increase in the coming years, several strategies are needed to address these challenges. One possibility is the use of robots to support older adults and their caregivers. Taking ethical considerations into account is an essential task. Agreement with ethical concerns identified in the literature was surveyed in a Swiss sample. The participants expressed their agreement with seven predetermined items but to varying degrees. Possible reduced human contact or problems with sensitive data received the most agreement. Nearly half of the respondents expressed no concerns about job loss or violation of privacy. Additional concerns that the older adults would be deceived, their self-determination compromised, or their dignity violated received less agreement. Further ethical considerations for future studies are discussed.