As the older adult population grows and becomes more diverse, so will their needs and preferences for living environments. Many adults over 65 years of age require some assistance (Administration on Aging in A profile of older Americans: 2009, U.S.D.o.H.a.H. Services, 2009; Ball et al. in J. Aging Stud. 18:467–483, 2004); yet it is important for their feelings of well-being that the assistance not restrict their autonomy (Barkay in Int. J. Nurs. Pract. 8(4):198–209, 2002). Not only is autonomy correlated with quality of life (Bowling in J. Epidemiol. Commun. Health 65(3):273–280, 2011), autonomy enhancement may improve functionality (Ball et al. in J. Aging Stud. 18:467–483, 2004; Greiner in Am. J. Publ. Health 86(1):62–66, 1996). The goal of this paper is to provide guidance for the development of technology to enhance autonomy and quality of life for older adults. We explore the potential for robotics to meet these needs. We evaluated older adults’ diverse living situations and the predictors of residential moves to higher levels of care in the United States. We also examined older adults’ needs for assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), and medical conditions when living independently or in a long-term care residence. By providing support for older adults, mobile manipulator robots may reduce need-driven, undesired moves from residences with lower levels of care (i.e., private homes, assisted living) to those with higher levels of care (i.e., skilled nursing).

中文翻译：

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确定机器人技术在不同生活环境中帮助老年人的潜力。


随着老年人口的增长和变得更加多样化，他们对生活环境的需求和偏好也会随之增加。许多 65 岁以上的成年人需要一些帮助（《美国老年人概况中的老龄化管理：2009 年》，USDoHaH Services，2009 年；Ball 等人，《J. Aging Stud.》18：467–483，2004 年）；然而，对于他们的幸福感而言，重要的是援助不会限制他们的自主权（Barkay in Int. J. Nurs. Pract. 8(4):198–209, 2002）。自主性不仅与生活质量相关（Bowling in J. Epidemiol. Commun. Health 65(3):273–280, 2011），自主性增强还可以改善功能（Ball et al. in J. Aging Stud. 18:467） –483，2004 年；Greiner，《美国公共健康》杂志 86(1)：62-66，1996 年。本文的目的是为技术发展提供指导，以增强老年人的自主性和生活质量。我们探索机器人技术满足这些需求的潜力。我们评估了美国老年人的多样化生活状况以及居住转移到更高级别护理的预测因素。我们还调查了老年人在日常生活活动 (ADL)、工具性日常生活活动 (IADL) 以及独立生活或长期护理住所时的医疗状况方面对援助的需求。通过为老年人提供支持，移动机械手机器人可以减少由需求驱动的、从护理水平较低的住所（即私人住宅、辅助生活）到护理水平较高的住所（即熟练护理）的非预期搬迁。